Although one year has elapsed since a tribunal delivered its verdict in Feni madrasa student Nusrat Jahan Rafi murder case, her family’s wait to see the execution of the verdict is yet to end.

The outgoing year, 2019, has been a very shocking year for Bangladesh as the nation saw a number of sensational murders that grabbed the international headlines.   Of the tragedies, the killings of Abrar Fahad at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), Rifat Sharif in Barguna and Nusrat Jahan Rafi in Feni jolted the nation’s conscience.   The killing of Taslima Begum Renu in a lynch-mob attack over the rumour of child lifting also shocked the nation.   Abrar Fahad   Buet student Abrar Fahad always stood first in any examination throughout his school and college life which is evident in the results of his SSC and HSC examinations. But the life of such a bright star was cut short brutally at his own university.   Abrar, 21, a second-year student of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Department of Buet, was found dead on the staircase of Sher-e-Bangla Hall of the university October 7 after some leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) beat him at room-2011 of the dormitory on the night of October 6 suspecting his link to Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir.   The academic activities at Buet remained closed for more than two months as the students went on a movement demanding justice for Abrar. Finally, the Buet authorities expelled 26 students over the murder after police submitted charges in the case.   On November 13, the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) pressed charges against 25 people in the Buet student Abrar Fahad killing case.   Rifat Sharif