It has been five years since Abrar Fahad, a second-year student of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), was brutally murdered by a group of Bangladesh Chhatra League(BCL) leaders and activists inside the Sher-e-Bangla Hall of the university.
Today, October 7, 2024, marks the fifth anniversary of his death, and the pain and brutality of the killing still haunts his family, especially his mother, Rokeya Khatun.
At her home near PTI Road in Kushtia Rrokey, Rokey recalled the fateful day with tear-filled eyes. "On this day, I left my son in a bus in the morning. He reached Buet by the afternoon. That night, the Chhatra League men tortured and killed him. Some of them were his friends, yet no one informed me of his death," she said in a chocked voice.
Abrar's father, Barkat Ullah, is currently in Dhaka for attending events at Buet to commemorate his son’s death anniversary. His younger brother is Abrar Faiyaz, a second-year student of Mechanical Engineering at Buet.
Inside their modest home, Rokeya has preserved her son's belongings with great care.
"These are his laptop and mobile phones. I have kept them safe, even after all these years," she shared, showing them to the UNB reporter. She has also kept Abrar’s wristwatch, books, clothes, and even chocolates that he used to sleep with.
"He would have been working today if he were alive. Whenever I think of how he was killed, I shudder," she added.
Abrar was known for his patriotism and concern for the country's well-being, she said adding how his social media posts criticising a government agreement with India turned him into an enemy of some, even though he was not involved in politics. "He was killed for thinking about the country. Why didn’t his friends who killed him care about the country’s welfare?" Rokeya asked.
The High Court sentenced the 20 of the 25 accused students to death in Abrar murder case, but some remain fugitives.
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Rokeya demanded their immediate arrest and the swift execution of the sentences.
Last night, Abrar’s younger brother, Faiyaz, shared an emotional post on Facebook, recalling the tragic events.
He wrote about the last time their mother left Abrar in a bus to Dhaka, just hours before he was taken and tortured. "Within 13-14 hours, he was taken and subjected to cruel torture. And 20 hours later, we got the news of his death," Faiyaz wrote, sharing his enduring sorrow.
Abrar’s father also demanded the immediate arrest of the absconding convicts.
While no major event was held in Kushtia to mark the day, Rokeya Khatun visited her son's grave in Koya, Kumarkhali upazila.