When brilliant minds turn brutal

They were the brightest of the bright in the country, each a picture of relentless hard work and dedication. Their admission to Buet, one of the hardest universities to get into, secured their stairway to heaven. But then politics came calling and hell became but a stone throw away. Suddenly, these well-mannered, studious, soon-to-be prominent members of society believed they had a licence to kill. And they exercised it. The Business Standard looks into the backgrounds of six of the 20 sentenced to death over the murder of Abrar. Where they went wrong and why are questions that are yet to be answered.

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Mohammad Moniruzzaman Monir – The Gifted one

Mohammad Moniruzzaman Monir was a gifted boy. His name was well-known around Bhagirpara village in Dinajpur, with locals recalling how meritorious he was.

"Monir was a gifted student in his school days and got GPA-5 in his Secondary School Certificate exam in 2014," said Rafiqul Islam, Monir's headmaster at Dinajpur Government School.

Afterwards, Buet came calling.

Monir's parents had high hopes for him. He was their way out of the vicious cycle of poverty.      

His parents would send the third-year student of the Water Resources Engineering Department Tk5,000 every month. Monir, however, did not rely solely on his parents.

"He used to tutor students for his other expenses," said Monir's father Mahatab Ali, an assistant teacher at the local Amrakanon High school.

Mahatab, also the general secretary of Ward-1 of Mohonpur union, said, "Sometimes Monir also sent us some of the money he earned from tuition."

During an earlier 2019 interview with TBS, Monir's mother Eliza Begum expressed her helplessness.

"We sent him money while already living in hardship. It is better to die than face the reality of his involvement in the murder."

Locals also remember Monir well. When he would return to the village during vacation, he would usually keep to himself. Sometimes he would play with the kids in the afternoons, said his neighbours.

"Monir never visited the local market when he came to the village," said Shukur Ali, the owner of the Sathi Hotel at Bhullirhat Bazar in Birganj upazila.

"Everyone in the village knew that Monir was a talented student studying in Dhaka; no one interacted with him," said Sirajul Islam, a shop owner in the market.

That he was involved with Chattra League was also not a secret.

But locals, considering how quiet Monir was, said he might have gotten involved in Chhatra League politics after going to the university.

That is when his life's trajectory dramatically changed.

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Meftahul Islam Zion – The changed man

One of the most enduring pictures from the day of the arrests was of Meftahul Islam Zion.

In handcuffs and surrounded by cops, Zion was snapped leaving the Buet hall with a smile plastered across his face.

Later on, an investigator who was present during the remand said, "They did not even think they would get arrested in the end."

Zion, the second of three siblings, came from a humble background, born to a family in Shothibari Dhalarpara village in Durgapur union under Mithapukur upazila in Rangpur. His father was a grocer. From a young age, Zion concentrated on his education. His family dreamt of him becoming an engineer.

He completed his SSC from Boro Mirzapur Government Primary School and his HSC Shathibari High School, passing with flying colours.

Harendranath Saha, the headmaster of Shathibari High School, said, "Zion passed SSC and HSC with CGPA 5. His teachers knew him as a good student and a polite child.  We have never noticed any rowdiness in him. But we don't know what he did after he joined Buet."

After high school, he enrolled at Notre Dame College in 2013, after which he joined Buet.

Zion was a loved child. Despite hardships, his father would pay for education, even buying him a motorcycle six months before the murder took place.

Everyone in the neighbourhood knew Zion as a polite boy. But they say his behaviour visibly changed after he joined Buet.

His parents were kept in the dark about his political ambitions, only later learning that he had become the Bangladesh Chhatra League sports secretary (Buet unit).

When asked about Zion, his uncle Selim said he was polite, composed and a good student since childhood. After joining Buet, he used to come home for 8-10 days whenever he had a vacation.

"We later heard that he had become involved with the Bangladesh Chhatra League. Since then, we noticed some changes in him," he added.

"Zion was polite since his childhood. He rarely came out of the home. We do not have any idea what he did after he got involved in politics," said Hazifur Rahman, a neighbour.

"He used to come to my shop whenever he came home from Dhaka, but he did not stay long. He left as soon as he finished his tea," a tea stall vendor Abdul Hakim said.

Zion's elder sibling is a doctor and his younger student a student of class IX.

His family also lived a simple life. His father is said to partake in Awami League's political activities.

Saidur Rahman, chairman of Durgapur union, said, "Though Zion's father did not hold any position in the party, he used to attend the Awami League's political activities."

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Ishtiaque Ahmed Munna – A picture of calm

Ishtiaque Ahmed Munna's mother cannot accept that her son is to walk the gallows. She says he was innocent. He was at the wedding of a local banker at the time, Kulsuma Khatun claims.

She still can't believe that she has to explain all this. Her son was innocent. All he did was study, she said, pointing to his back-to-back A pluses in his SSC and HSC exams.

Ishtiaque Ahmed was born to Abdul Ahad and Kulsuma Khatun of Ghargaon village in Sadar union of Chunarughat upazila. He was the couple's second born.

Munna's father was a Union Parishad member. He passed away on January 26, 2006. Their life was thrown into disarray, but the children and their mother persevered.

His eldest brother became a captain and his younger brother is a third-year student of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.

After Kulsuma's husband died, she moved to her ancestral home and married a businessman there.

Her son's education continued unhindered. He got an A+ in his SSC which he passed from Ananda Government High. He then moved to Dhaka and studied for his HSC from Dhaka Cambrian College, securing another A+.

Munna was a 4th year student in the Mechanical Engineering Department when the murder took place. His mother claimed that Munna, calm at the time, said he would wait for the verdict. She said she had been able to talk to him for less than a minute after his arrest.

According to her, Munna left their village for Dhaka at midnight. He reached Sher-e-Bangla Hostel around 4:15am and was arrested at 10am in the morning.

She was ready to appeal against the verdict.

His uncle Mostafa Ali also maintained that his nephew was innocent. He said they had presented evidence in support of this to the court. But such a punishment was hard to accept, he said.

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Anik Sarker – The sports lover

Anik Sarker's family and neighbours say that the young boy spent most of his time buried in books, that is, when he wasn't partaking in his favourite sport.  

His elder brother, Sohel Sarker, told The Business Standard that Anik was a sports enthusiast since childhood.

"He not only studied hard, he also played a lot. He is involved with the safety club at Buet. He lived with me in Dhaka before he became a boarder at Sher-e-Bangla Hall," he said. 

The supposed mild-mannered boy was pursuing a medical engineering degree. 

During his childhood, Anik did not want much. He also shared a great relationship with his strict parents and his siblings, spending hours on the phone talking to them.

His father, Anwar Hossain Sarker, is a well-off businessman in Baraikuri Village under Rajshahi's Mohonpur upazila. His mother, Shahida Begum, is a homemaker.

Anik had completed his secondary education at Mohonpur Government High School, before being admitted to the prestigious Notre Dame College in Dhaka.  

Anik joined Buet after completing his higher secondary education.

His family had long-running ties with the ruling Awami League. His paternal uncle, Belal Hossain, is the vice president of Jubo League's Rajshahi district unit.

His maternal uncle, Al Momin Shah Gabru, is the chairman of Bakshimoil union and also the general secretary of Jubo League's Mohonpur upazila unit.

But his parents were adamant that Anik would not go down this road.

Anik first got involved in student politics after joining Buet, where he became the secretary of information and research affairs of the Chhatra League unit.

He, however, was not active in the student organisation's upazila unit back home.

Sohel was aware of Anik's involvement in politics, but said his brother was forced to join by seniors at Buet.

"He might have got involved because of an unexpected situation, but intoxication is not his thing. This is a rumour. Nonetheless, we will now have to accept whatever the final verdict is," Sohel said.

When asked about his brother's ambition in life, Sohel said, "We two are very different. We never discussed that."

Anik's maternal uncle Momin said his sister used to stay up all night to supervise the studies of both brothers.

"I never saw Anik staying out after sunset. I didn't even know that he was involved in politics," he said.

Mohonpur upazila Chhatra League President Abdur Razzak told The Business Standard that Anik did not hold any position in the upazila unit.

"However, he would discuss local politics during his visits here," Razzak said.

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Mehedi Hasan Robin – The humble one

Mehedi Hasan Robin's family nicknamed him Shanto, meaning peaceful. Given his involvement in the murder, perhaps a better translation would be restive.

Robin, 22, is the only son of Maksud Ali and Rashida Begum. Locals know him as a polite boy who loves to study and watch cricket on television. 

They never found anything suspicious about his character. In fact, they said they never even saw him playing or gossiping with anyone else.

Locals remember him as being friendly and charming. His involvement in the murder came as quite a surprise.

His father Maksud said he was strict about his son's studies. He enrolled Robin at a school where he taught to keep an eye on him. Later on, Robin even received scholarships in the talent pool category in both the fifth and eighth grades.  

While his family wanted Robin to become a doctor, he dreamed of becoming an engineer. And he worked hard for it.

His humility also shone through.

Minhazul Islam, a student of Rajshahi College, was Robin's schoolmate and lives in the same village. They got into different schools after finishing primary education together.  

"In school, Robin was polite and well-mannered. He spent a lot of time studying. He was not boastful at all after getting into Buet," Minhazul recalled.

"Robin never told me that he was involved in Chhatra League politics at Buet.  How can such a good student become unruly after enrolling at such a prestigious institution?"

Minhazul said politicians would have to take responsibility for the brutal killing of Abrar.

"What is it in Buet that made Robin so rowdy?" he questioned. 

What made Robin who he turned out to be is a question everyone who knew him was at a loss to answer.

"I would send him money every month, but he also earned as a private tutor in Dhaka," Maksud said. 

About his political affiliations, the family did not express concern.

In fact, they believed it was those connections that make it easy for Robin to land a good job after graduation.

His father, Maksud Ali, an assistant teacher, is himself a politician in Rajshahi's Katakhali municipality and the joint general secretary of ward 1 of the Awami League's Katakhali unit.

"I myself am engaged in politics and my son is too. Our ministers and lawmakers also got involved in politics when they were young. That is how they reached the position they are in today," Maksud said.

In an earlier interview, one of Robin's sister-in-laws said he is a victim of a conspiracy and there is no way he was involved in the killing of a fellow pupil.

"People get involved in the politics of the ruling party to get benefits. It is hard to get a job even when having educational qualifications. But one can get a job through political connections," she told The Business Standard.

Robin's father said he talked to his son on October 5, two days before Abrar was beaten to death.

Robin went home to spend a seven-day vacation with his family during the last Eid. He was supposed to go home again to spend the Durga Puja vacation but that did not happen.

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Mehedi Hasan Russell – The talented one

Mehedi Hasan Russell, the expelled general secretary of Buet Chhatra League, and the main accused in the case, was said to be a man of talent.

He had it all and was on his way to get more. His friends, family and neighbours at Rangabari village of Salthar Sonapur union in Faridpur, never missed an opportunity to talk about him.

Now, a cloak of silence has descended on the same village.

His father, mother and younger brother still live there. But gone are their tales of admiration.

Russell's father, Ruhul Amin, a retired member of the army, said over mobile phone, "I do not want to comment on the verdict at this time out of respect. I can only say that my son was not present at the scene that day."

On his wife's silence, he said, "You will understand why my wife is this way if you had a son of your own."

Asked if he would appeal against the verdict, he said, "I can't say anything at the moment. I will be able to say more later."

Khairuzzaman Babu, chairman of the union, said three members of Russell's family lived here. Russell's father, Ruhul Amin, was a retired Army member. His other son is a ninth grader.

Among the family members, Russell used to stay in Dhaka to study. "We knew Russell was very talented and studied at Buet."

"My son was not present at the time of the incident. He went to our house in Netrokona," his father said. After that, only silence prevailed.

"Innocent"

Devi Saha, mother of accused Amit Saha, who was sentenced to life imprisonment, expressed her displeasure after the verdict in the murder case of Buet student Abrar Fahad.

Devi Rani told Bangla daily Bangla Tribune, "My son has been arrested under the pressure of the media. He was not involved. He just spoke [to those involved] on messenger. I hoped Amit would be released."

Another convict, Muaz Abu Hurairah, was sentenced to life in prison. His home is in Kuliyarchar, Kishoreganj. His mother went to court to hear the verdict. Afterwards, she said, "Muaz tried to save Abrar. He brought him medicine and saline by spending his own money. Yet, he was sentenced to life in prison."

Freedom fighter Rabiul Islam, father of convicted Morshed Amartya Islam, told the Bangla Tribune, "I found my son and handed him over to the police. I, myself, surrendered him to the police. I respect the law. However, I did not expect this verdict. Mass executions and life imprisonment were given. We are shocked."

He termed the killings accidental.

"No one is a professional criminal. Everyone is a meritorious student. We will go to the High Court," he said.