A human chain was formed at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) Shaheed Minar on Saturday, demanding a full internal forensic autopsy and an impartial investigation into the death of former BUET student Dr Irfan Al-Hussaini in California, USA.
Teachers and students of the university, alongside family members of the deceased, participated in the demonstration held at 1:30pm. Irfan, a student of the 12th batch of BUET’s EEE department, was working as a Senior Data Scientist at NVIDIA.
He completed his PhD from Georgia Institute of Technology before joining NVIDIA, where he was promoted to Senior Data Scientist approximately three months prior to his death.
According to speakers at the human chain, Irfan was found unconscious at his residence in Palo Alto, California, on 22 July. He was rushed to Stanford Medical Center, where he was treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) for nine days before passing away on 30 July.
His family said Irfan suffered from oxygen deprivation to his brain for 30 to 60 minutes, which resulted in severe brain damage. The family has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding his death, pointing to an unclear timeline on the morning of 22 July.
Irfan had delivered an online presentation to his colleagues that morning, which concluded around 9am. At 10:02am, a message was sent from his mobile phone to his workplace requesting leave due to his wife’s illness.
Just 20 minutes later, at 10:22am, a 911 call was placed from his residence reporting a suicide. Irfan’s wife, Dr Fabia Farlin Athena, was reportedly at home during this time.
Demonstrators mentioned that what transpired during the brief window between the end of his presentation, the message, and the 911 call remains unexplained.
The family also claimed that after Irfan’s death, his body was taken to the coroner’s office where only an external examination was conducted. The body was subsequently handed over to his wife without a full internal forensic autopsy being performed.
They further said initiatives were taken to bury Irfan quickly without informing his close family and friends.
On 1 August, his wife reportedly contacted one of his colleagues to help find a burial plot, while his family and close friends remained completely unaware of any burial plans.
Later, on 4 August at 8:38pm local time, a message was posted in a Facebook Messenger group announcing that Irfan’s Janaza (funeral prayer) would be held on 7 August at a local mosque.
However, after his friends released a joint statement on social media concerning his death, the programme was suspended, with the cancellation announced in the same Messenger group on 5 August at 9:08pm.
These unresolved circumstances have caused deep concern and anxiety among Irfan’s family and classmates.
Irfan’s body is currently kept in cold storage. Demonstrators urged that a full internal forensic autopsy be conducted before physical evidence is lost or destroyed, mentioning that they are willing to finance it privately if necessary.
To address these concerns, the protesters placed a three-point demand from the human chain, which includes conducting a swift and full internal forensic autopsy of Irfan’s body following legal procedures as requested by his parents, immediately handing over custody of the body to his parents, and launching an impartial, transparent, and complete investigation, including digital forensics, to determine the actual cause of death.
Furthermore, they demanded that if the investigation proves suicide, the circumstances that forced him to take such a decision must be identified, and appropriate legal action must be taken against those responsible.
