When there were several factions operating in the Jahangirnagar University (JU) campus, the lords decided to pick the most submissive one and drive the others away, as they don’t bow down. Sensing something was up, the others started leaving the campus or were curtailing political activity since the bosses opted for common tricks.
The activists knew each other, as all of them had been in the same herd – the JU Awami League family – for three years since the party took office in January 2009 with brute majority. But soon, party colleagues turned into foes as conflict amongst the groups of teachers and students reached its peak. Top bosses at the helm were watching the show and remained on standby for providing necessary support. They’ve been doing so until now.
One of the scenes in the act was to beat up some leaders and known faces of the two deviant groups that would create an example for everyone, except for the submissive faction that carried out ground-level operations.
In the morning of January 8, 2012, Zubair Ahmed, who had been staying outside the campus and had remained inactive on political matters for over a year, went there to sit for his last course exam of his honours final year, upon verbal assurance of the proctor that he’d be given necessary protection, as he was fearing attack from the strongest faction, backed by the administration, in a common and brutal way.
Yes, it was a heroic assignment for the killers to whisk Zubair away from outside the faculty building in the presence of many, as he was done with the exam and had become available as an easy prey.
It was “heroic” in a sense that no ordinary student dared to question the prince’s army about their motive behind taking Zubair to an unknown place in that afternoon. General students, having no influential platform, like Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU), usually feel like spectators when political thugs turn violent.
Zubair was taken to the rearside of an under-construction building so that the killers could take time in executing their plan without any hindrance. They called in more killers to batter Zubair’s body to a satisfactory level. At one point, they stopped, however, and some of them took the nearly-dead body to a Savar hospital and then left. They were ashamed to show their faces to the people claiming responsibility, but not in front of the top bosses, who laud such inhuman acts of intimidation.
No one thought Zubair could be treated. His bones were crushed, his face ruptured, body pierced … it was unusual that he was alive until the next morning, January 9, 2012. Even though killing in a campus over political causes is “heroic” on many aspects, this particular incident was different as many students knew who did it. They couldn’t hide it, forcing the authorities to file a case immediately and launch a probe.
The probe body came up with their findings quickly, and the university syndicate, at a meeting on January 30, expelled seven students, who were leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League, for life, and six others for two years. The seven were found to be directly involved in the killing, and the six assisted.
Following the expulsion, the university authorities published a small poster along with photos and identities of the killers and pinned them, as per law, on the notice boards in halls and departments. Police were also asked to add the names in the case as accused.
An uprising from the students and a faction of teachers was subdued by these developments, apparently to give an impression that the authorities were not in favour of the Chhatra League faction that tortured and killed Zubair, as claimed by many.
Yet no one believed them. And after nearly two years, the prediction has come true. The administration, who filed the murder case on behalf of the victim’s family, has been trying to foil the case in a bid to assist the murderers. As the case is nearing its end, the aggressive activities of the killers on the run and the administration are on the rise to forcefully feed the general students and other justice-seekers whatever they want.
From students to teachers, shopkeepers to employees, media to human rights groups, lawyers to judges … all peace-loving people know these facts and developments, but no one is sure about who will win the case – the justice-seekers or the political thugs.
Considering the persistent ill-political trend, it can be said that this case may see the death penalty for some of the 13 accused while others will be acquitted, and in the appeal, many others will be acquitted. More importantly, as long as presidential mercy remains in force, more and more political killers will be freed in the future for having a ruling party tag.
The absence of a strong platform of general students (JUCSU) has worsened the situation by paving the way for ruling parties to create havoc on the campus – thanks to political teachers and a politicised system. Had the JUCSU been in place, with general students taking the helm through election, the criminals dubbed as students would not have become so dreadful.
If they had the scope to express opinion on the administration’s decisions, law and order would not have turned one-eyed as it is now. We need human beings to teach and learn at the universities, for God's sake!
