Some students of Dhaka University (DU) on Friday surrounded Shahbagh police station, before issuing a 48-hour ultimatum to the authorities to arrest those responsible for the murder of Shahriar Alam Shammo.
The students kept the police station surrounded for nearly an hour and a half before withdrawing with a threat to resume the blockade if their demand remains unmet.
Earlier, the protesting students gathered at the base of the Raju Memorial Sculpture on the DU campus. Students from different halls had joined the protest, converging at the sculpture.
Following a brief assembly there, they marched to the premises of Shahbagh police station and staged a sit-in.
They also warned of further blockades of the police station should their demands remain unmet.
Subsequently, they proceeded to Shahbagh police station seeking updates on the progress of their investigation into Shammo's murder.
Several DU faculty members also expressed solidarity by joining the protest.
Ibrahim Munshi, a student of the 27th batch of the Institute of Education and Research, said: “This is a non-partisan platform. Various political parties have begun exploiting Shammo’s death for their own agendas, focusing primarily on demanding the resignations of certain individuals. However, our principal demand is justice for Shammo."
He added: "Even after 72 hours since the murder, the assailant who stabbed him has yet to be arrested. If the remaining perpetrators are not apprehended within the next 48 hours, we will lay siege to Shahbagh police station.”
Earlier, on Tuesday night at around 11:30pm, Shammo was critically injured after being stabbed near Suhrawardy Udyan.
He was later taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where on-duty doctor declared him dead.
Shahriar Alam Shammo was a student of the 2018-19 academic session at DU’s Institute of Education and Research and a resident of Room 222 of AF Rahman Hall. He also served as the publication secretary of the hall unit of the Chhatra Dal.
