TDS Desk:

Abu Sayed, a student of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, died due to bullets shot by the anti-quota protesters, according to the Rangpur police.

Sub-inspector (SI) of Tajhat Police Station Bibhuti Bhusan Ray, who is also the in-charge of police camp on the university campus, said this in the first information report (FIR) of a case he filed regarding the killing of Sayed and mayhem on the campus on 16 July.

The police made 2,000-3,000 unnamed students accused in the case, terming them as leaders and activists of BNP and Jamaat-Shibir.

According to the FIR, some students armed with lethal weapons entered the university campus forcefully and vandalised the administrative buildings, medical centre, and the vice-chancellor’s residence around 2:15 pm on 16 July.

They also vandalised a truck and burnt a walkie-talkie snatched from Sub-inspector Sohel Rana, said the report.

It also said, “The whole area turned into a battlefield. At one stage of firing gunshots and throwing brickbats by the protesters, a student was seen falling on the road. When his fellow students had taken him to Rangpur Medical College Hospital for emergency treatment at 3:05 pm, the duty doctors declared him dead. The name of the dead student is Abu Sayed (23).”

Asked if protesters carried any firearms during the clashes, SI Bibhuti Bhusan Ray said  on Friday, “I shall not make any comment on this. Our seniors will talk about the matter.”

In a video footage, it was seen that Sayed was standing alone, unarmed with arms stretched out, holding only a stick when he was shot. He was not engaged in any violent activities.

Former inspector general of police Nur Mohammad said no one can hide anything as what happened is clear to all.

He said, “It is a general rule for the police to file a case whenever any incident occurs. Everyone watched on television and social media that a student was standing with his arms stretched out, holding a stick and he was shot. What happened to that student is clear to all. There is no scope to hide anything.”

Supreme Court lawyer and renowned human rights activist Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua said the videos of the incident will not help the complaint and the person responsible may face criminal charges for creating a “shameful” narrative.

“Now the court accepts video documents as evidence. Videos show that the police fired the bullet. A police official usually does not file a case against another cop and never conducts a fair investigation against them. In this case, the police have come up with an imaginary narrative. As the judicial system is very weak in our country, we cannot make them accountable,” he said.

“The victim’s family should have filed a case, but the police usually do not file any case in such a situation. The state should facilitate the family so that they can file a case against real perpetrators. An unarmed student was killed in cold blood. An independent judicial commission can bring the things to light and hold responsible persons accountable,” he added.

The Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur (BRUR) authorities on Friday handed over a cheque of Tk7.50 lakh to the family of Sayed, a student of the university’s English Department.

A delegation including the university’s Proctor Shariful Islam, Bangla Department head Prof Dr Tuhin Wadud, BRUR Teachers’ Association General Secretary Asaduzzaman Mondal Asad and its Officers’ Association President Firozul Islam visited Sayed’s home at Babanpur village in Pirganj upazila on Friday.

Proctor Shariful said the university’s vice-chancellor talked to Sayed’s family and promised them continued support.

He also said the vice-chancellor assured them of employment opportunity for a family member at the university.