The identities of the accused in the death of former Jahangirnagar University student and Chhatra League leader Shamim Ahmed, also known as Shamim Molla, who was beaten to death, have been revealed.
Among those accused, five are linked to Chhatra Dal politics, one is a coordinator, and the remaining two are students of the university's English and Management departments, according to witnesses.
Based on an initial investigation report, eight students of the university were temporarily suspended, starting from the afternoon of Thursday, under Section 3(2)(c) of the "Jahangirnagar University Student Discipline Ordinance-2018."
The investigation is primarily based on video footage and photographs of the incident.
In an official statement signed by the acting registrar of the university, ABM Azizur Rahman, on Thursday evening, it was said that the accused have been identified on the basis of video footage and eyewitness accounts.
The viral footage showed Shamim being beaten multiple times at various locations within the university premises.
What happened on that day
The incident began outside the university's Prantik Gate. According to shopkeepers and witnesses, Shamim Molla was standing in front of a shop on the road outside the Prantik Gate.
Later, as he was walking along the road, some students called him over, saying: "Brother, please come here." He responded by approaching them.
In a video circulating on social media, Shamim is seen being assaulted in front of the university's Joy Bangla Gate.
Several others were standing around him. At that time, Atiquzzaman, a 49th batch student of Management Studies, is seen kicking him in the back several times.
Simultaneously, Ahsan Labib, university coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, strikes him on the leg with a stick. In a photo, Labib is seen standing with a stick in his hand.
In another viral video, Shamim is seen being beaten by several individuals by the collapsible gate of the university’s security branch.
By this time, Shamim was lying on the floor face down.
He was being struck with rods or bamboo sticks by Raju Ahmed, a 45th batch student of the Department of Government and Politics.
Another individual, wearing a jersey and identified as Ratul, is also seen hitting him with a stick. Eyewitness students said that Raju Hasan and Hamidullah Salman later joined in the beating.
Another video shows Ahsan Labib interrogating Shamim, asking if he was involved in the July 15 Chhatra League attack on the vice-chancellor’s residence.
Shamim denied his involvement but admitted that two Chhatra League leaders were involved.
When Shamim was handed over to the police by the Proctorial Board, several students were seen assaulting him as he was being taken away in a car.
Eyewitnesses reported that Shamim was beaten several times in front of the Proctor's office. Former Chhatra Dal general secretary of the university, Abu Saeed Hossain Bhuiyan, led this assault, according to several security branch sources.
It was also reported that after beating Shamim, the attackers appeared jubilant.
A resident student of MH Hall wrote on social media: "Yesterday, after beating Shamim Molla, a Chhatra Dal leader from MH Hall came to the dorm and distributed sweets."
Who are the attackers?
The five accused Chhatra Dal men are former general secretary Abu Saeed Bhuiyan from 33rd batch, 45th batch Government and Politics student Raju Ahmed, 46th batch student Mohammad Rajan Mia Raju from the same department, 49th batch English student Hamidullah Salman, and 47th batch Computer Science and Engineering student Sohag Mia.
While Raju, Rajan, Sohag, and Salman do not hold any positions, students confirmed their involvement in Chhatra Dal politics through their presence at political meetings and rallies on campus.
Abu Saeed Bhuiyan is a former student of the university. The remaining four accused Chhatra Dal activists have been temporarily suspended by the university.
Regarding the matter, Arif Sohel, coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said on social media that the movement demands proper justice for all those accused, including Chhatra Dal members Saeed Hossain Bhuiyan, Raju Ahmed, Rajan Hasan, Hamidullah Salman, and MN Sohag, as well as those without any organizational identity.
The other two accused are Ahsan Labib, university coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, and Atiquzzaman, a 49th batch student of the Management Studies department.
Ahsan Labib has already been relieved of his position by the Jahangirnagar University branch of the movement.
What accused say
When asked, accused former Chhatra Dal general secretary Abu Saeed Bhuiyan told the media that he went to the Joy Bangla Gate as a curious onlooker after hearing that someone was being beaten.
He denied participating in the assault.
He also said that Shamim Molla was a known criminal in the area and had been involved in the July 15 attack on students.
He suggested that Chhatra League supporters might have been responsible for the beating.
Meanwhile, Raju Ahmed said: "I went there after hearing from general students. I scolded Shamim but didn’t beat him."
Hamidullah Salman said: "I went to the Proctor's office after hearing the news, but I had no involvement in the assault or breaking any locks."
MN Sohag said: "I was returning from tutoring and saw the commotion. I didn't participate in the beating."
Atiquzzaman said: "I was coming from Prantik. I saw a mob beating someone. I heard that he had been involved in extortion and was involved in the July 15 Chhatra League attack. Out of anger, I kicked him three times but did nothing more. I didn’t know him personally."
Coordinator Ahsan Labib said: "I heard that students had detained the mastermind of the July 15 attack at the Joy Bangla Gate. I went there and interrogated him. Shamim admitted to the involvement of two others. I handed him over to the authorities and left."
In a video statement, acting general secretary of the university Chhatra Dal, Zahir Uddin Mohammad Babar, urged the organisation’s activists not to take the law into their own hands and to avoid any activities that might disrupt the academic environment.
Students demand justice
Arif Sohel, coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said on social media that they have called for a fair investigation of all the accused individuals, regardless of their organizational affiliations.
Jahangirnagar University economics student Pratiti Tapasi said: "We, the students of Jahangirnagar University, are against any extrajudicial killings. If someone commits a crime, he should be punished according to state law. We do not support the beating to death of anyone."
Abdur Rashid Jitu, coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at Jahangirnagar University, said: "We know that Shamim Molla was involved in various illegal activities, including drug syndicates. There is a legal system in Bangladesh for such matters. However, a special group orchestrated this event to assert dominance. After Shamim was brought to the Proctorial Office, the locks were broken, and he was assaulted twice. We strongly condemn this. We demand that all those directly or indirectly involved be brought to justice, or we will initiate strict action against the newly appointed university administration."
What happened at the Proctor’s Office
Describing the assault on Shamim Molla, University Proctor Professor AKM Rashidul Alam said: "At around 5:45 or 5:50pm, we received news that someone was being beaten near the university's Prantik Gate. I immediately went there with members of the proctorial body. We stood as a shield and asked the attackers to stop, telling them not to take the law into their own hands. They stopped the beating upon our request."
He continued: "To prevent further assaults, we brought Shamim to the Proctor's office for protection. He was kept in the outer room. As Proctor, I sat in the office, with my assistant proctors standing by the door, and security personnel nearby. Shortly after, some angry individuals forcibly took Shamim out of the office and into the security office. I arrived and locked the gate."
The proctor added: "A few moments later, a group of people with sticks gathered outside. I told them that while I was present as the university Proctor, they could not beat him. Many listened to me, but some angry individuals broke the lock and assaulted him."
What police and hospital authorities say
Md Jewelur Rahman, in charge of the emergency department at Gonoshasthaya Medical College Hospital, said: "At first glance, it seemed that he was unconscious. We did an ECG, which showed that he was dead. We handed over the body at around 12:30am. There were bruises on various parts of his body, but nothing unusual was found. The postmortem report will provide more details."
Another doctor, Selimuzzaman, said: “He was brought to the hospital at around 9:15pm. Upon examination, we found that he had already passed away. He was essentially dead before being brought in. The exact cause of his death will be confirmed after an autopsy."
Ashulia police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abu Bakkar Siddique told Dhaka Tribune: "When he was handed over to us that day, his condition was not good. There were marks on his body, and his legs were bloodied. From there, we immediately took him to Gonoshasthaya Hospital at around 9:20pm. Later, when he was taken to the hospital, the doctors declared him dead."