Three arrested over killing of DU student
Police yesterday arrested three people in connection with the murder of Dhaka University student Shahriar Alam Shammo at Suhrawardy Udyan.
The arrestees are Tamim Hawlader, 30, Samrat Mallic, 28, and Palash Sarder, 30, said Masud Alam, deputy commissioner of Ramna Division Police.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. They have no ties with the DU, he added.
According to Sub-Inspector Tawfique Hasan of Shahbagh Police Station, the three, along with others, had a scuffle with Shammo at the Suhrawardy Udyan and subsequently killed him.
He said the scuffle took place as a motorcycle of the accused collided with Shammo's bike.
The SI, however, did not say whether the man who stabbed Shammo was among the arrestees.
The arrestees have been sent to jail after they were produced before a court, the SI, also the investigation officer of the case, said.
Police will seek remand today, he added.
Shammo, 25, was the literature and publication secretary of the Sir AF Rahman Hall unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal. He was a student of the 2018–19 session at the Institute of Education and Research and a resident of Room 222 of the hall. He hailed from Ullapara in Sirajganj.
On Tuesday night, Shammo was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
As news of Shammo's murder spread, agitated students barricaded the residence of the vice chancellor in the early hours of Wednesday.
Shammo's father, Fakhrul Alam, broke down in tears after seeing his son's body at the hospital.
"My son was a gentle boy. Why did outsiders kill him? I demand the highest punishment for his killers," he said.
Following the murder, different student bodies, including JCD, brought out processions on campus yesterday demanding justice and calling for greater campus safety.
The JCD leaders also demanded the resignation of the vice-chancellor Dr Niaz Ahmed Khan, proctor, and the home adviser of the interim government.
Leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal staged a demonstration in front of the VC's residence, where Nasir Uddin Nasir, general secretary of the JCD's central committee, said, "As the highest guardian of the university, the vice-chancellor cannot avoid responsibility for this murder. We demand the resignation of both the proctor and the VC."
"We also demand the resignation of the home affairs adviser," he added.
Dhaka University authorities have expressed deep sorrow over the tragic death and announced that they will observe a mourning day today and all classes and examinations will remain suspended for half day.
The DU authorities have formed a seven-member committee to investigate the death. The committee has been requested to submit its investigation report within the next three working days.
Meanwhile, the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami-backed White Panel teachers in DU demanded justice for those involved in the murder.
In a statement, the teachers group urged the authorities to take visible steps to make the campus safer and demanded the government take responsibility of Shammo's family.
The killing of a university student on the DU campus may be part of a larger conspiracy to destabilise the university and the country, especially at a time when citizens nationwide are calling for a national election, the statement said.
Following the murder, the authorities have decided to permanently close the park's rear gate behind the Raju Sculpture, evict nearby vendors, and begin regular anti-crime and anti-narcotics raids to curb rising violence and drug abuse.
"Seventy percent of crime activities linked to Dhaka University occur in Suhrawardy Udyan, as seen in the 'Proloy Gang' issue and many others," said Asif Mahmud, adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, after a meeting with Dhaka University authorities, police officials and other stake holders at Senate Building.
"We discussed transitioning Suhrawardy Udyan into a regulated public space like Ramna Park," Mahmud added.
After the meeting, the VC said that earlier efforts to control external traffic around campus were scaled back after concerns were raised over personal freedom.
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