HC Upholds Death Sentences for 20 in Abrar Fahad Murder Case

The High Court (HC) on Sunday upheld the death sentences for 20 students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) and confirmed life imprisonment for five others in the high-profile Abrar Fahad murder case.

A bench of Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain delivered the verdict in a packed courtroom.

On Saturday, the HC had scheduled Sunday to announce its ruling on the death references and appeals filed by the convicts, following the conclusion of hearings on February 24. The case had been under review since then.

Abrar Fahad, a second-year student of Buet’s Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) department, was brutally murdered on October 6, 2019, allegedly by members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) at Sher-e-Bangla Hall. The attack was reportedly triggered by a Facebook post Abrar made about water-sharing issues between Bangladesh and India. His lifeless body was found on the dormitory’s staircase.

The following day, Abrar's father filed a murder case against 19 BCL members at Chawkbazar Police Station, sparking widespread protests and national outrage.

On December 8, 2021, a Dhaka court sentenced 20 Buet students to death and handed life imprisonment to five others for their involvement in the murder.

The 20 students sentenced to death are: Mehedi Hassan Rasel, Anik Sarker, Mehedi Hassan Robin, Ifty Mosharaf Sakal, Moniruzzaman Monir, Meftahul Islam Jiyon, Majedur Rahman, Muzahidur Rahman, Tabakhairul Islam Tanvir, Hossen Mohammad Toha, Shamim Billah, Nazmus Shadat, Muntasir Al Jemi, Mizanur Rahman, Mahmud Setu, Shamsul Arifin Rafat, Morshed Omorto Islam, Ehtesamul Rabbi, Morshed Uzzaman Jishan, and Mujtaba Rafeed.

The five students who received life imprisonment are: Muhtasim Fuyad, Akash Hossain, Mowaz Abu Horaira, Omit Shaha, and Ishtiaq Hassan Munna.

Of the 25 accused in the case, five remain fugitives.

The HC began hearings on the death references and appeals on November 28 last year before reaching its final decision on Sunday.