A 22-year-old private university student died at Khulna Medical College Hospital early on Saturday morning after being beaten and having his hair cut over theft allegations at a building near the Khulna University.
The deceased, Md Azmul Hossain, was a first-year English student at North Western University, Khulna, originally from Darshana in Chuadanga.
The incident occurred shortly after midnight on 18 September on the rooftop of a four-storey building on Islamnagar Road, near Khulna University’s hall road.
Witnesses and students residing in the building said that Azmul was taken to the rooftop and interrogated over allegations that he had stolen food, clothing, shoes, and money from several rooms.
Several students admitted he was slapped and beaten during questioning and that his hair was cut. They added that a crowd gathered on the roof as the situation grew increasingly chaotic.
Azmul was later found critically injured at the base of the building and was rushed to Khulna Medical College Hospital in a Khulna University ambulance.
Hospital sources confirmed that several young men brought him to the emergency department at approximately 1:30 am, where he succumbed to his injuries 10 to 15 minutes later.
According to hospital staff, those who brought him claimed Azmul had jumped from the fourth floor in an attempt to escape after being caught stealing.
A former Khulna University student who was present at the scene similarly claimed that Azmul suddenly bolted towards a slippery corner of the rooftop and jumped before anyone could intervene.
However, local residents reported hearing loud shouting and commotion from the building between 12:30 am and 1:00 am, and observed an individual being beaten on the fourth floor shortly before he was discovered lying on the ground below.
Hospital sources noted that Azmul bore multiple injury marks across his body and that the hair on one side of his head had been shorn.
His father, Kutubuddin, alleged that he received a phone call during the night demanding a payment of Tk1,00,000 as compensation for the alleged theft.
He said that his subsequent attempts to return the call were ignored before the line was switched off.
Kutubuddin travelled to Khulna by train, arriving shortly after 6:00 am. He recounted that while local residents informed him his son had been beaten to death, students at the building insisted he had jumped.
“I later saw that they had beaten my son so severely that it killed him. I leave the judgment to Allah. I do not wish to pursue the matter in court; He will deliver justice.”
Despite this, Kutubuddin stated that he did not wish to pursue legal action or consent to a post-mortem examination.
A former student present during the incident denied any ransom demand was made, asserting that the intention had been to hand Azmul over to the police. He added that approximately 15 to 20 people were on the rooftop when Azmul jumped, leaving everyone stunned.
Professor Dr Md Salauddin, Director of Student Affairs at Khulna University, noted that the incident took place off-campus and therefore outside the university’s direct jurisdiction. “However, we have liaised with police authorities and are assisting them with their enquiries,” he said.
Officer-in-Charge Iqbal Hossain of Harintana Police Station confirmed that officers were aware of the incident and that the body was being held at the Khulna Medical College Hospital morgue. He added that formal legal action would be initiated if the family filed an official complaint.
