Concluding its argument, the prosecution on Sunday sought death penalty for 25 students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) over the murder of university student Abrar Fahad.
Mosharraf Hossain Kajal, the chief prosecutor of the case, sought the highest punishment after concluding the prosecution argument before the tribunal on behalf of the state in the case.
After concluding the hearing from the prosecution, Judge Abu Zafar Md Kamruzzaman of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 fixed Monday for starting the defence argument.
"The accused have been charged in the murder case. They have killed a man after waking him up from his sleep. Abrar's family cried their hearts out, the whole nation cried for this boy. All the accused are educated. I am expecting the death penalty for them," BSS quoted the the state counsel as saying.
During the hearing, the prosecutor also cited different points from the statements of 46 out of 60 prosecution witnesses.
Twenty-two of the accused -- now in jail -- were produced before the tribunal during the hearing. Three others have been absconding since the case was filed.
Earlier on November 13, 2019, the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge's Court took into cognizance the charge sheet in the case filed by the Detective Branch of police against 25 accused. The case was later transferred to the speedy trial tribunal, allowing a plea from Abrar's father.
The tribunal on September 15, 2020, framed charges against all 25 accused in the case.
According to the police, of the 25 accused, 11 took part in the gruesome murder directly and the others played roles in the crime in various ways. Of the arrested, eight have given confessional statements before the court.
Buet students and the varsity authorities found seemingly lifeless body of Abrar, 22, a second-year student of EEE department of the university on first-floor stairs of Sher-e-Bangla Hall and rushed him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where doctors declared him dead in the wee hours of October 7, 2019.
He was beaten to death allegedly by a number of student leaders of the Chhatra League Buet unit over his outspoken Facebook posts.
Abrar's father filed the case with Chawkbazar police station against 19 people. Later police included names of the other accused after finding their involvement during investigation.