Several hundred students of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) staged a protest after learning that Muntasir Al Jemi, a convict sentenced to death for the murder of BUET student Abrar Fahad, had escaped from prison.
The protest march began at the BUET Shaheed Minar around 11:00 PM on Monday and passed through various university halls before concluding at the Raju Memorial Sculpture at Dhaka University, where the students held a press conference around midnight.
At the press conference, two students from BUET’s 19th batch—Abu Obaida Mayaz and Arafat Shakib—read out a written statement. They cited the final stage of the High Court’s appeal and death reference hearing on 24 February, where the judge noted that no lawyer had been representing Muntasir Al Jemi, as he had been absconding since 5 August last year.
The statement condemned this as a betrayal of martyr Abrar Fahad and a disgraceful example in Bangladesh’s judicial history.
The statement also recalled that on 7 October, 2019, Abrar Fahad was brutally beaten to death by members of the now-banned student organisation Chhatra League.
On 8 December, 2021, a trial court sentenced 20 Chhatra League members to death and five others to life imprisonment for their involvement in the murder. Muntasir Al Jemi, a student of BUET’s 17th batch from the Mechanical Engineering Department, was among those sentenced to death.
In a written statement, the protesting BUET students expressed their outrage, saying, “The news of Muntasir Al Jemi’s escape, revealed by the learned judge on the final day of the appeal hearing, has left us shocked. Death row convicts belong in a high-security confinement cell under an impenetrable security blanket. The escape of so many top criminals from such a facility is disgraceful and shameful. This is a betrayal of the blood of martyr Abrar Fahad.”
Their statement also included a demand to the government: “The prison authorities and the Ministry of Home Affairs cannot evade responsibility for this failure. We demand that the murderer Muntasir Al Jemi be swiftly located and arrested. Additionally, every individual who aided in his escape must be identified and brought to justice.”
Following the press conference, Abrar Fahad’s younger brother, Abrar Fayaz, expressed his frustration, stating, “Today, during the High Court hearing, we learned that my brother’s murderer, Jemi, has escaped. The state is responsible for this failure, and the current government cannot shirk its accountability. The authorities knew about it but kept it hidden. Today, the High Court confirmed that he had been missing since 5 August, but we have yet to receive a clear explanation. This is a disgraceful failure of the state.”
He further added, “No excuses will be accepted. We demand a clear response from the government and the prison authorities. Jemi must be arrested, and those responsible for his escape must face justice.”
Prior to the BUET students’ protest and press conference, Abrar Fayaz had raised concerns about Muntasir Al Jemi’s escape in a Facebook post, bringing further attention to the issue.