Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday met with the family of slain Buet student Abrar Fahad at his Cabinet Division office, assuring them of all-out government support and promising to uphold justice and honour Abrar’s memory.
During the meeting, Abrar’s father, Md Barkat Ullah, sought the prime minister’s cooperation in expediting the judicial process in his son’s murder case and apprehending the absconding convicts.
Prime Minister Rahman assured him that the judiciary is completing proceedings independently, with the case currently pending before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.
Responding to community demands raised by the family, the prime minister committed to constructing a bridge over the Gorai River in Kushtia, naming it after Abrar Fahad, and instructed officials to immediately complete the construction of a nearby mosque and Abrar’s grave.
Abrar’s mother, Rokeya Khatun, urged the administration to ensure campus safety so no other mother loses a child to violence. Meanwhile,
Abrar’s younger brother, Abrar Faiyaz, invited the prime minister to visit Buet, requesting a new residential hall named in Abrar’s honour and the inclusion of Abrar’s story in school textbooks. In response, the prime minister immediately telephoned the education secretary to initiate steps regarding these demands.
Addressing Faiyaz’s call to honour all victims of past political violence, the prime minister noted that the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs is currently processing a project to compile a comprehensive list of individuals killed in various periods prior to the July movement.
Abrar Fahad was beaten to death by Bangladesh Chhatra League activists at Buet’s Sher-e-Bangla Hall on 6 October 2019 following a social media post.
A Dhaka trial court sentenced 20 people to death and five others to life imprisonment in 2021, a verdict upheld by the High Court in March 2025.
