Abu Sa’id, a student of Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, had his chest and abdomen riddled with bullets fired by the police. From his neck to his thighs, he bore the marks of buckshot wounds. However, the preliminary information report (FIR) filed by the police claims that Sa’id died during a shooting and stone-throwing incident instigated by the protestors.
Multiple video footages of the incident show that on July 16, during the ‘Complete Shutdown’ program of the quota reform movement, the police shot Abu Sa’id at close range on the road in front of Begum Rokeya University. Sa’id, holding a stick in one hand and spreading his arms wide, exposed his chest to the bullets. He collapsed shortly thereafter.
Dr. Rajibul Islam, the head of the Forensic Department at Rangpur Medical College, conducted the autopsy on Sa’id’s body. He told Prothom Alo on Saturday that Sa’id’s chest and abdomen were riddled with buckshot wounds, resulting in internal bleeding that caused his death. He stated that the autopsy report would be released within a few days.
However, the FIR does not mention that Sa’id was killed by police gunfire. The day after Sa’id’s death, on July 17, a case was filed at Tajhat Police Station. The complainant was Sub-Inspector Bibhuti Bhushan Roy, in charge of the Begum Rokeya University police outpost.
The FIR states, “At around 2:15 pm, individuals claiming to be students but involved in anti-state activities began throwing stones and firing indiscriminately from firearms they had. To control the situation, Constable Sohel fired 169 rounds of rubber bullets from his issued shotgun from within the APC vehicle. The entire university area turned into a battlefield.”
Regarding Sa’id’s death, the FIR states, “During the shooting and stone-throwing from multiple directions, a student was seen lying on the road. His fellow students took him to Rangpur Medical College Hospital, where the duty doctor declared him dead. The case names 2,000 to 3,000 unidentified individuals as suspects.”
When asked, the complainant Bibhuti Bhushan Roy confirmed filing the FIR but declined to comment further.
Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md. Moniruzzaman told Prothom Alo on Saturday that the preliminary information report provides an initial description of the incident. The details about Sa’id’s death are included, but it is not final. The full details will emerge from the investigation committee’s report, the doctor’s autopsy report, and the surrounding footage.
The police commissioner further stated that on the day of the incident, the police used tear gas, sound grenades, and shotgun buckshot to control the situation. No permission was granted to use firearms, and no firearms were used. If any evidence is found that a police officer fired a gun, action will be taken.
Abu Sa’id was a student in the 12th batch of the English Department at Begum Rokeya University. He was a coordinator of the quota reform movement at the university. His home was in Jafarpur Babarpur village in Pirganj, Rangpur.
Eyewitness students said that even after Sa’id fell injured, the police continued to shoot indiscriminately. Sabina Akter, the coordinator of the quota reform movement at Begum Rokeya University, said that Sa’id was targeted and killed.
Video footage shows fellow students running to Sa’id when he fell after being shot. They placed him on a rickshaw and headed towards Rangpur Medical College Hospital.
The FIR filed by the police regarding Abu Sa’id’s death has sparked new outrage among teachers and students. Professor Tuhin Wadud of the Bengali Department at Begum Rokeya University told Prothom Alo that Sa’id was brutally killed in public and the world has seen the footage. Now the police are trying to shift their responsibility onto others, which will further erode public trust in the police administration.
- Source: Prothom-Alo
