A Dhaka court has accepted a supplementary chargesheet against 28 people in the lynching of a mentally unstable youth, Tofazzal, at the University of Dhaka’s Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall.
The court also ordered arrest warrants against 22 accused who are currently absconding.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jewel Rana issued the order after a hearing on Tuesday afternoon.
Sub-Inspector Jinnat Ali of the prosecution department confirmed the development, saying the court accepted the supplementary chargesheet submitted by the police and ordered the case to be sent for trial.
The chargesheet was submitted to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Dhaka on December 18, 2025, by Md Hannanul Islam, additional superintendent of police of the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI). The court had fixed March 10 for a hearing on whether to accept the chargesheet.
Among those named in the chargesheet are several students of Dhaka University, including Jalal Mia of the Physics Department, Suman Mia of the Soil, Water and Environment Department, Mottakin Sakin Shah of the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, and Al Hossain Sajjad of the Geography Department, along with a number of residents of Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall.
Two accused—Ahsan Ullah alias Bipul Sheikh and Wajibul Alam—are currently on bail.
Four others—Jalal Mia, Al Hossain Sajjad, Mottakin Sakin Shah and Suman Mia—have been arrested and are in jail. The court issued arrest warrants for the remaining 22 accused who are on the run.
According to the investigating officer, the police conducted further investigation following a court order and submitted the supplementary chargesheet against a total of 28 people.
Earlier, on January 1 last year, police submitted a chargesheet against 21 accused. However, the plaintiffs objected to the exclusion of eight individuals mentioned in confessional statements of other accused. After hearing the objection, the court ordered further investigation on February 26.
The investigation report states that on the day of the incident, Tofazzal entered the hall premises through the main gate at around 7:40pm. Shortly after, students allegedly began beating him on suspicion of theft.
He was later taken to the main building of the hall, where he was interrogated and assaulted for about 25 minutes. At one point, students realized he had no connection to the alleged mobile phone theft and gave him food at the hall canteen.
However, after the meal, he was again beaten by a group of students.
Teachers reportedly attempted to intervene and persuade the students to release him, but initially failed. Tofazzal was eventually taken to the hospital at around 10:52pm, where doctors declared him dead.
According to the case statement, the victim was later tied to a window in a hall guest room and severely beaten with stumps, hockey sticks and sticks, which led to his death.
The case was first filed on September 19, 2024, by Mohammad Amanullah, supervisor of the university’s estate office, with Shahbagh Police Station.
Later, on September 25, the victim’s cousin, Mosammat Asma Akhte,r filed another case in court against 15 people, including the then provost of Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, Professor Shah Muhammad Masum. The court subsequently ordered a further investigation into the incident.