5 DU students arrested over lynching at FH Hall

Five students of Dhaka University have been arrested over the lynching of a mentally challenged youth at Fazlul Haque Hall, suspecting him of being a thief. 

The detainees are Jalal Ahmed, 25, a physics student and former deputy science and technology secretary of the hall unit Chhatra League, Sumon Mia, 21, a student from the Soil, Water, and Environment department, Md Mottakin Sakin of the Nutrition and Food Science Institute, Ahsan Ullah, 24, of the Mathematics department, and Al Hossain Sazzad of Geography and Environment.

Muhammad Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner of the media and public relations division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, confirmed the arrests on Thursday.

Earlier today, Shahbagh police, with assistance from the university administration, arrested the five. 

Before the arrests, Mohammad Amanullah, a supervisor at the university’s estate office, filed a case with Shahbagh Police Station accusing unknown individuals of lynching Tofazzal, the victim.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), on Wednesday night (September 18), some students caught Tofazzal at the gate of Fazlul Haque Hall, suspecting him to be a thief. They beat him with stumps, hockey sticks, and rods, leaving him unconscious. He was later taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where he was declared dead.

Eyewitnesses described the brutal torture Tofazzal endured, stating that the attackers inflicted severe injuries, even removing flesh from his body.

Tofazzal hailed from Kanthaltali Union of Patharghata Upazila in Barguna.