Students nationwide rally against Mitford killing, demand end to extortion
Participants said, “We have no party. We will protest wherever injustice is done. Be it BNP, NCP, Jamaat, or any other political party. We will not allow terrorism to be established in Bangladesh in any way”
Students from universities across the country held protest marches and rallies last night (11 July), condemning the brutal killing of a businessman near Mitford Hospital in Old Dhaka and expressing frustration over what they called ongoing extortion and terrorism across Bangladesh.
At Jahangirnagar University, a procession under the banner "Anti-Terrorism Unity" began at the Bot Tola area around 9:30pm. The march passed through key campus roads before ending at Bot Tola with a brief press briefing around 11pm. Protesters chanted slogans demanding justice and an end to extortion and violence.
At Rajshahi University, students gathered at Shaheed Shamsuzzoha Square to protest. Speakers condemned the daylight killing near Mitford Hospital in Dhaka and broader trends of political violence and impunity.
Mehedi Sajib, former coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at Rajshahi University, said, "The killer of the businessman was Jubodal. In Bangladesh, we must learn to criticise by clearly naming the party. If you cannot do that, then everyone will want to become Hasina again. In the new Bangladesh, as long as July lives, we will not let anyone become Awami League in any way. Be it BNP, Jamaat, or any other political party. We will not allow terrorism to be established in Bangladesh in any way."
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Another former coordinator, Salauddin Ammar, said, "We have been harassed asking for justice from the interim government. Still, we want to say that justice for this murder must be done immediately."
The Democratic Student Alliance, a coalition of progressive student groups, also held a separate procession at Rajshahi University. The group demanded the resignation of Home Affairs Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, citing his failure to ensure public safety.
In Faridpur, students of Faridpur Medical College brought out a protest march last night, parading through key streets in the city. After returning to the college premises, they held a brief rally.
Participants said, "We have no party. We will protest wherever injustice is done. Be it BNP, NCP, Jamaat, or any other political party. We will not allow terrorism to be established in Bangladesh in any way."
A similar march was held by students at Islamic University, Kushtia. Around 7:30pm, a procession led by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement began at Zia intersection and concluded at Diana Square, where students held a rally.
Speakers demanded swift and exemplary punishment for those involved in the killing, warning that students would not remain silent in the face of injustice.
SM Sweet, a coordinator of the movement at the university, said, "Repeatedly, brothers from BNP, starting from Chhatra Dal, ask why we start movements if anything happens to them. Yet, they are the ones who commit most of these misdeeds. Our language of protest will continue; there will be more programmes in the future. We demand swift justice for this brutal murder."
At Jagannath University in Dhaka, a protest procession began around 9pm at the Shaheed Minar and moved through Rai Saheb Bazar, Tatibazar, Nayabazar, and Mitford Hospital.
Protesters demanded justice for the murder of scrap merchant Sohag, who they claimed was killed for refusing to pay extortion money.
Similar demonstrations were reported from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) in Sylhet and Maulana Bhashani Science and Technology University in Tangail.
The SUST protest began around 9:30pm from Shahparan Hall and ended at Bangabandhu Hall.
At Maulana Bhashani University, a procession started around 10:30pm from Mannan Hall and concluded in front of the administrative building after marching through the campus.
The killing took place on Wednesday (9 July), when Chand Mia alias Sohag, a local scrap trader, was beaten and hacked to death inside the compound of Sir Salimullah Medical College Mitford Hospital, shortly before sundown.
CCTV footage, which went viral on social media on Thursday (10 July), shows several men dragging Sohag's bloodied body onto the adjacent road, where they continued to assault him.
According to police and local sources, the attack stemmed from a long-standing dispute over control of the illicit copper wire and scrap trade in the Mitford area.
Sohag's sister filed a case with Kotwali Police Station, naming 15–20 individuals.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) have arrested Mahmudul Hasan Mohin, 41, named as the prime suspect, and Tarek Rahman Robin, 22, while the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) later arrested Alamgir, 28 and Monir, 32.
Yesterday, a Dhaka court granted remand for Mohin and Robin. Following a hearing at the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana, the two were placed on different durations of police remand for further interrogation.
