Eight individuals, including two leaders of the Banani Thana unit of Students Against Discrimination (SAD), have been sued in connection with the killing of Primeasia University student Jahidul Islam Parvez in Banani on Saturday.

Jahidul's cousin, Humayun Kabir, filed the case with Banani Police Station early yesterday, naming eight people and accusing 25-30 unnamed individuals, said Banani Police Station Officer-in-Charge Russel Sarwar.

Humayun said he identified the named accused using CCTV footage.

The named accused include Sobhan Niyaz Tushar, joint convener of SAD's Banani Thana unit, and Hriday Miazi, joint member secretary of the same unit.

The other six are Meheraj Islam, Abu Jahr Giffari alias Piash, Mahathir Hasan, Rifat, Ali, and Fahim.

The OC said among the named accused, three are students and the others are outsiders. No one has been arrested so far, he added.

Jahidul, 24, was a third-year student in the textile engineering department.

According to the case, Jahidul and several others were having snacks near the campus around 3:00pm. While they were laughing and chatting, two female students of another private university and others were standing nearby. Suddenly, three of them approached the victim, claiming Jahidul's group was laughing at the girls.

The confrontation turned into an altercation, which was initially resolved by campus authorities.

However, around 4:40pm, Jahidul was stabbed on the left side of his chest. His body was handed over to the family following an autopsy at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, added the case statement.

Speaking to reporters at the morgue, Humayun said, "My cousin was not involved in any fights. We don't understand why he was killed. We want justice."

Jahidul, the eldest of two siblings, was from Bhaluka upazila in Mymensingh. His father, Jasim Uddin, who works in Kuwait, flew back to Bangladesh yesterday after learning of his son's death.

Meanwhile, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) leaders claimed Jahidul was one of their activists and alleged SAD leaders were involved in the murder.

At a press conference at the BNP's Nayapaltan office, JCD President Rakibul Islam Rakib said Jahidul played a significant role in the July uprising.

"Our initial investigation shows that several leaders of Students Against Discrimination were directly involved in the murder. CCTV footage clearly identifies those who fatally stabbed him," Rakib claimed, reports UNB.

He said a group of criminals, including Primeasia student Meheraj Islam and SAD leaders Tushar and Miazi, stabbed Jahidul.

In response, SAD denied the allegations in a Facebook post, saying Chhatra Dal leaders are spreading falsehoods regarding the involvement of SAD leaders.

"We strongly condemn such falsehoods. Tushar and Miazi had no involvement whatsoever," the post stated, adding that CCTV footage does not show the presence of these two leaders.

SAD also condemned what they called a "mob trial" on social media by falsely linking the two leaders, saying it was putting their members at risk.

Umama Fatema, spokesperson of SAD, in a statement, termed the accusation of JCD leaders "a reprehensible attempt to exploit the tragedy for political gain."

She condemned the efforts to implicate SAD in the murder without evidence, which would distort the facts and divert attention from the actual cause of the murder, politicising their agenda and hiding the real perpetrators.

"We want an impartial and evidence-based investigation, and the person responsible for this crime must be brought to justice," she said.

Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also commented on the incident, saying, "Those who could kill a dedicated student leader like him [Jahidul] were certainly not involved in the country's uprising for change."