Attorney General Barrister Md Ruhul Quddus Kazal has described the murder of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) student Abrar Fahad as an extreme example of fascism during the fascist regime.
Recalling the judicial aspects of the brutal murder ahead of the death anniversary of Abrar Fahad on October 7, the Attorney General told journalists that during the fascist regime, people enjoying political patronage believed they could get away with committing crimes. However, the verdict in the murder case has proved that offenders have to face trial and punishment, he added.
Ruhul Quddus Kazal said the state has not appealed against the High Court verdict as the trial court’s verdict in the Abrar Fahad murder case was upheld, adding that the state’s position in the case is that it does not want to cause any delay in the proceedings. “We want to ensure the constitutional right of citizens to receive speedy justice,” he said.
The Attorney General said that once the hearing of the case begins in the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, the state will not cause any kind of delay in the hearing. “We will not seek an adjournment of the hearing even for a day. The trial of this murder should be completed quickly. People want to see the verdict in this case implemented,” he said.
Abrar Fahad, a second-year student of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at BUET, was beaten to death at Sher-e-Bangla Hall on the night of October 6, 2019. The brutal murder sparked outrage across the country. All those involved in the heinous killing were leaders and activists of the BUET unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League (now a banned organization).
In the much-discussed murder case, the Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 delivered its verdict on December 8, 2021. The trial court sentenced 20 accused to death and five to life imprisonment. On March 16, 2025, the High Court handed down its verdict, upholding the death sentences of all 20 accused and the life imprisonment sentences of the five others.
The accused whose death sentences were upheld by the High Court are Mehedi Hasan (Russell), Md Anik Sarker, Mehedi Hasan (Robin), Ifti Mosharraf, Md Moniruzzaman, Md Meftahul Islam, Md Majedur Rahman, Md Mujahidur Rahman, Khandakar Tabakkarul Islam, Hossain Mohammad Toha, Md Shamim Billah, A S M Najmus Sadat, Morshed Amartya Islam, Muntasir Al (Jamie), Md Shamsul Arifin, Md Mizanur Rahman, S M Mahmud, Morshed-Uz-Zaman Mondal, Ehteshamul Rabbi and Mujtaba Rafid.
The accused whose life imprisonment sentences were upheld by the High Court are Muhtasim Fuad Hossain, Md Akash Hossain, Muaz Abu Huraira, Amit Saha and Ishtiaq Ahmed.
Meanwhile, the accused sentenced to death and life imprisonment have filed appeals and leave-to-appeal petitions against the High Court verdict.
