'Mother used to put us to sleep': Slain IU teacher's child seeks justice at human chain
Family members and students demand swift arrest of those involved
"Mother used to put us to sleep with affection. Now the four of us stay awake all night and cannot sleep."
Nine-year-old Taiba, daughter of slain Islamic University teacher Asma Sadia Runa, said this in a tearful voice during a human chain today (7 March) demanding justice for her mother's killing. Her words and cries left many at the gathering visibly emotional.
Family members and students organised the human chain demanding the swift arrest of those involved in the killing and punishment for those behind it.
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The programme was held around 10am in front of the Kushtia Press Club, where relatives and current and former students of the university gathered.
Runa's husband Imtiaz Sultan attended the protest with their four children – Taiba, 9; Tabassum, 7; Sajid, 5; and 12-month-old Ayesha.
During the programme, Taiba broke down while recalling her mother.
"She has not been here for the last two nights. We four siblings cannot sleep anymore," she said before bursting into tears.
Holding his children close, Imtiaz Sultan demanded the immediate arrest of the killers and strict punishment for those responsible.
"How could Runa be killed so brutally before iftar during Ramadan?" he said, adding that his wife often spoke to him about the difficulties she faced at the university.
"She was mentally harassed for a long time," he alleged.
He also demanded strict punishment for the accused named in the case – Biswajit Kumar Biswas, Shyam Sundar Sarkar and Md Habibur Rahman.
Runa's father SM Ashikul Haque and other family members were also present at the human chain.
Speakers at the human chain demanded the swift arrest of the accused and warned of tougher programmes if justice is delayed.
Asma Sadia Runa, chairperson and assistant professor of the Social Welfare Department at Islamic University, was stabbed to death in her office on Wednesday afternoon.
Following the attack, the accused employee Fazlur Rahman, a staff member of the Political Science Department, attempted suicide by cutting his throat. He was later admitted to Kushtia General Hospital in critical condition.
Runa's husband later filed a murder case with Islamic University Police Station, naming Fazlur Rahman and three others as accused.
Police later showed Fazlur Rahman arrested while he was undergoing treatment at the hospital.
