BUET student dies in crossfire

My Comments:

One of my friends (he was involved in Bangladesh Chathra Union) told me one time (in 1980) that he didn't know how long the BUET campus would remain free from arms given the progress of "arms-distribution" among students throughout Bangladesh to promote Bangladeshi Jathiothabadi politics by the then military junta under military dictator Ziaur Rahman. After twenty-two years, now the party of that military dictator along with killer Jamatis has brought arms into the BUET campus where academic environment was not polluted by the partisan arms-based student politics even during the worst times under the second military dictator General Ershad.

These days, I feel a decay in my pride as a Bangalee whenever I think about two killers and war criminals ruling as powerful ministers in Bangladesh.  I shared my pains and feelings with one of my American friends {except a few, many friends from Bangladesh are really insensitive to all these).  I asked him, "how would you feel if you see someone as a Congressman or a Senator or a Secreatary in U. S., who collaborated with Japan/Germany during the Second World War?"  He said that it would be an absurd thing that could happen in the USA.  He was shocked hearing what happened in Bangladesh.

My pride on BUET started eroding just recently when I read about the one-sided role of BUET administration against "Mumu" (a BUET student) who showed an extreme courage in writing against the two killer war criminals now enjoying power.  A historically known strict BUET-administration didn't take any step against the BUET Chathra Dal Cadres who attacked other students.  Now an innocent girl named "Sadequnnahar Sony" died in the cross fire of two Jathiothabadi factions in BUET.  My pride on BUET as a strict place under a fair administration is now about to erode after all these recent happenings.  Although I was never involved in any politics but yet, it is my observation that the Bangladeshi Jathiothabadi Rajnithi is successful in their design to take away the pride from the Bangalees that grew exponentially during and after 1971.

Who will bring back the pride of the people of Bangladesh as Bangalees?  How many young men/women will have immature endings of their lives before we get rid of the vicious campus politics?  Who will make the Bangalees free from the vicious Bangladeshi Jathiothabadi politics that the military dictators and collaborators started through coup and conspiracy?

-- Shabbir



BUET student dies in crossfire

Staff Correspondent


A female student of the Bangladesh Engineering University and Technology (BUET) was killed in crossfire during a gunfight between two factions of ruling BNP-backed Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) on the university campus yesterday.


  Sadequnnahar Sony, 22 and a second year student of Level-2, Term-2 of chemical engineering department, died on way to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). A stray bullet pierced through her abdomen.

  Sony is the first female student to be killed in a clash between two rival student groups in Bangladesh. The last killing on BUET campus took place in June 1995 when armed miscreants called Ahmedullah, a BUET student, out of Ahsanullah Hall and shot him dead. None has so far been arrested in connection with the killing.

Sources in the JCD said tension had been mounting between two rival groups for the last several days over capturing of the tender worth Tk 87 lakh.


Yesterday morning, a heavily-armed faction of JCD unit of Dhaka University (DU) led by Central Joint Secretary Benazir Titu went to the BUET campus in an attempt to scare their rivals away to fetch the bidding papers. Titu was accompanied by Tagar, Masum Billah, Kaiser and Shamsu of the JCD's SM Hall unit, the sources said.


  The rival group headed by Mokammel Hayat Muki, central assistant organising secretary and former BUET unit general secretary of the JCD, was on the BUET campus at the time to fend off Titu and his gang.   Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, president of suspended central committee of the JCD, reportedly backs both factions. General Secretary of the DU unit of the JCD Mostafizul Islam Mamun leads the 'Pintu group' on the DU campus.

Witnesses said both the groups locked in a scuffle when Titu and his cadres tried to enter the administrative building area. Obstructed, Titu and his men took position in front of Ahsanullah Hall opposite the Shaheed Minar while Muki and his followers stationed themselves in front of the BUET cafeteria.

Campus sources said at about 12:45pm Titu and his men suddenly started firing gunshots. Muki group also fired back. All this was happening right in front of the police who were deployed at the Shaheed Minar. At least 30 gunshots were fired during the half-an-hour shoot-out.


"Sony who was on her way to the lone female hall of BUET when she was caught in the crossfire in front of Shaheed Minar," said an eyewitness who resides in Sher-e-Bangla Hall, adjacent to the Shaheed Minar.

"I came out of my first floor room immediately after the firing started and saw a girl student fall on the ground," the student said, adding that some armed men were wearing lungi.

Nafiza Islam, a friend of Sony, told The Daily Star yesterday that most students of their class went to the department in the morning after a weeklong vacation. "We were on holiday after completion of our mid-term exams."

"No-one was in mood to attend classes and we all demanded vacation for another week to enjoy the World Cup. Later, we went to the café and gossiped there. I left Sony and others at the café at about 12:30. But I never imagined that this would be our last meeting," said a tearful Nafiza.


"The gunfight over, I heard that a female student of our department was shot. Then I rushed to the Dhaka Medical (College Hospital) morgue only to see her lying there dead."

An outsider, Mukul (full name could not be known immediately), belonging to the Titu group, was also shot during the shoot-out. But he was not admitted to any city hospitals probably to escape arrest. He was staying at Bangabandhu Hall of Dhaka University under Titu's shelter.

Sony was the eldest among two sons and one daughter of her parents. Her father Habibur Raman Bhuiyan is a staff of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar T&T office. Her mother Dilara Begum is an official of Sonali Bank Head Office in Motijheel. They hail from Bijeswar of Brahmanbaria and are residing at Uttara Sonali Bank Officers Quarters.


As the news of the tragic incident spread on the BUET campus, hundreds of students and teachers rushed to the DMCH morgue to have a last glimpse of Sony. A heart-rending scene took place when Sony's mother went there. "Why did I send my only daughter to BUET? What is the meaning of higher education?" she asked the students and teachers, wailing and suffering fits intermittently. She was repeatedly being unconscious seeing the dead body of her only daughter.


Students and teachers alike expressed their strong resentment over the escalation of terrorism on the BUET campus.


Dhaka city Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka, Education Minister Osman Farook and State Minister for Home Affairs Lutfuzzaman Babar went to the morgue to see the body of Sony.


Khoka said the killer will be arrested and punished. Asked by journalists about the government's failure to contain terrorism, Khoka said a concerted effort is needed to curb terrorism.

When Khoka was talking to reporters, some agitated BUET students shouted at him and wanted to know how many more students would be required to die due to politics.


Relatives, friends and classmates of Sony believe at the hospital were fuming. "We have been hearing about the arrest and punishment of the killers but not a single of them have been punished so far. Because, they all get freed due to political influence," regretted a relative.

JCD leaders and workers allegedly continue unleashing criminal activities across the country despite the BNP suspended the activities of the JCD central committee in December last year following widespread reports of their involvement in criminal offences.


Police and paramilitary BDR raided SM, Bangabandhu and Surya Sen halls of Dhaka University and arrested 47 persons, including Saidur Rahman, organising secretary of Surya Sen Hall and one Masud. Both of them are said to be loyal to the Titu group.


Additional police forces have been deployed on the DU and BUET campuses as the situation was tense.


The students and teachers carried the body of Sony from the hospital morgue to her Uttara residence. The body was later taken to her village home in Brahmanbaria in the afternoon. Sony will be buried today.

Meanwhile, in an emergency meeting in the afternoon the BUET authorities condemned the killing and urged the government to take immediate steps so that no such tragic incident repeats itself at BUET.
 

All academic activities of the university have been suspended today in memory of Sony.

 

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