The High Court upheld the death sentence of the 20 students and life sentences of five others for their involvement in the murder of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) student Abrar Fahad.

The bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the verdict today (March 16) regarding the death references and appeals in the murder case.

Abrar was beaten to death on October 7, 2019, by leaders and activists of the then-BUET unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), reportedly over his social media posts criticizing government agreements with India. The killing triggered widespread protests across the country.

On November 13, 2019, the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court took cognisance of the charge sheet filed by the Detective Branch against 25 BCL members. 

The case was later transferred to a speedy trial tribunal at the request of the complainant.

On December 9, 2021, a Dhaka court sentenced the 20 students to death. It also sentenced five other Buet students to life imprisonment for their role in the grisly murder. 

Abrar was a student of electrical and electronics engineering. The convicts began torturing him with skipping ropes and cricket stumps inside a room of Sher-e-Bangla Hall on the night of October 6, 2019. 

They kept beating him up until early morning even though the 21-year-old threw up, urinated, and pleaded for water.

His battered body was found by several students under the staircase of the dormitory early in the morning. The killing sparked widespread student demonstrations on campuses and other places for justice and prompted the Buet administration to ban political activities on campus.

BDST: 1213 HRS, MAR 16, 2025
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