Memorial pillars unveiled near BUET to honour Abrar Fahad

The Eight Anti-Aggression Pillars were inaugurated today at Palashi intersection, adjacent to Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), in memory of martyred student Abrar Fahad.

Abrar, a second-year student of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at BUET, was brutally beaten to death in 2019 by members of the now-banned BUET unit of the Chhatra League for expressing his anti-aggression stance.

To honour his memory and uphold the spirit of resistance he embodied, the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) implemented the construction of the Eight Anti-Aggression Pillars under the project titled "Construction of the Eight Anti-Aggression Pillars in Memory of Shaheed Abrar Fahad and Development of Palashi Intersection."

Each of the eight pillars symbolises a core national value — sovereignty, democracy, national defence, communal harmony, economic self-reliance, protection of local industry, agriculture, rivers, forests and ports, cultural freedom, and human dignity.

At the inauguration ceremony, Adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan said, "What is inscribed on these pillars is far more significant than their physical form. The true independence of this delta will be realised through the implementation of these ideals."

He noted that while enormous sums were once spent to sustain fascism through monuments and projects, those who now work for anti-fascist causes often face political conspiracies. The adviser added that the construction of the Eight Pillars cost only Tk39.59 lakh.

Secretary of the Local Government Division, Md Rezaul Maksud Zahedi, said, "The government will take initiatives to keep the memory of Abrar Fahad alive in every household."

DSCC Administrator Md Shahjahan Mia said, "Abrar Fahad is not just an individual — he is a spirit, an ideology." Referring to Abrar's legacy, he said the seed planted by him in 2019 has now grown into a mighty tree. The project was undertaken by DSCC following the advice of the local government adviser and the initiative of the Abrar Fahad Memorial Council.

Adviser to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Md Mahfuz Alam, BUET Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Abdul Hasib Chowdhury, Member Secretary of the National Citizens' Party Akhtar Hossain, Abrar's father Md Barkat Ullah, and his brother Abrar Faiyaz also spoke on the occasion.