A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of North Western University student Md Ajmul Hossain in Khulna, less than 14 hours after students issued a 24-hour ultimatum demanding the arrest of the accused.
Md Hasnat Habib Rifat, 30, son of Monowar Hossain of Gunergati in Sirajganj Sadar, was arrested in Pirojpur early Tuesday, according to the SRB.
Lt Col Nistar Ahmed, commander of SRB-6, said a joint team of SRB-6 (Khulna) and SRB-8 (Barisal) conducted a special operation in the Kuriana Adabari area under Nesarabad police station in Pirojpur around 2:30am on Tuesday, acting on a tip-off.
He said Rifat is one of the prime accused in the murder case filed with Harintana police station under Khulna Metropolitan Police.
According to the SRB, Rifat admitted during preliminary interrogation to his involvement in Ajmul’s murder. Based on information obtained from him, operations are underway to arrest the other accused.
The arrested man was handed over to Harintana police for further legal action.
Harintana police station Officer-in-Charge Iqbal Hossain said Rifat is a former student of Khulna University and had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the murder.
He said Ajmul’s father, Kutub Uddin, filed the case with Harintana police station, naming four current and former Khulna University students as accused along with 20-25 unidentified people. Police are working to arrest those named in the case, he added.
Khulna University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Md Rezaul Karim said the university supports bringing those responsible for Ajmul’s murder to justice and would extend full cooperation to the authorities.
Students’ protest
Earlier, students of North Western University blocked roads in Sonadanga on Monday, demanding the arrest of those accused in Ajmul’s murder.
Ajmul, a first-year student of the university’s English Language and Literature Department, was killed two days before the protest.
The students began their protest around 10:30am by barricading the road in front of the university’s Sonadanga campus. Students from the Sheikhpara campus later joined in a procession.
At one point, the protesters set fire to tyres in the middle of the road. Teachers also expressed solidarity with the protest.
The students demanded the arrest of the named accused within 24 hours and warned of stricter action if the demand was not met.
The blockade disrupted local and long-distance bus services from Sonadanga Bus Terminal, causing significant suffering for commuters.
After 1pm, KMP Additional Police Commissioner Muhammad Shahnewaz Khaled and Khulna City Corporation Administrator Nazrul Islam Manju held talks with the protesters.
Shahnewaz Khaled said police were conducting raids in several locations to arrest the accused and assured the students that the investigation charge sheet would be submitted to the court within a month.
Following the assurance, the students withdrew the blockade around 1:30pm while maintaining their 24-hour ultimatum.
Rifat was arrested in Pirojpur later that night.
How Ajmul died
According to residents and students living at the mess where Ajmul stayed, they heard commotion and shouting around 12:30am on Friday and rushed outside, where they found him lying on the ground.
Neighbours and residents of an adjacent building alleged that Ajmul had been severely beaten after being accused of theft before he fell from the roof of the four-storey building.
He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
It remains unclear whether Ajmul fell from the roof himself or was pushed or thrown from it.
Akibur Rahman, who oversaw the building, said Ajmul had moved into the mess about a year ago.
The mess was managed by Mehedi, a former student of Gopalganj Science and Technology University who lived on the fourth floor. Mehedi’s room, like the others, was found locked, and his mobile phone was switched off.
