Ex-DU teacher who dragged woman to death under his car dies

A former Dhaka University teacher, who killed a woman by dragging her underneath his car's bumper for a kilometre on the university campus in December, died on Friday.

Azhar Jafar Shah, a former faculty member of the International Relations Department of the university, was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in the afternoon as his condition deteriorated and doctors declared him dead, said police.

The former DU teacher suffered head injuries after being beaten by the angry mob as he dragged a woman underneath his car on the DU campus on 2 December, according to police.

Police arrested him in a case filed over the incident. Then, he underwent treatment at DMCH.

DMCH police outpost-in-charge Bacchu Mia said a jail guard brought Azhar Jafar to the hospital's emergency unit around 3:30pm. After examinations, doctors pronounced him dead.

He was terminated from the university in 2018 on grounds of moral turpitude.

Azhar was transferred from the hospital to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj on 1 January, Nur Mohammad, officer-in-charge of Shahbagh police station, said. 

A post-mortem will be done to find out the reasons behind his death, the OC says.

Keraniganj Jail's Deputy Jailer Aminur Rahman said Azhar had suffered from head injuries and had been undergoing treatment at the jail hospital since his arrival in jail.

Azhar was again shifted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) for head injuries on 8 January as his condition deteriorated in the jail hospital.

The former teacher was sent back to the jail hospital after treatment at BSMMU that day, said the deputy jailer.

The victim, Rubina, and her brother-in-law, Nurul Amin, were on a motorbike when the private car driven by the former teacher hit them from the rear end and dragged her for about a kilometre on the Dhaka University campus. The teacher who drove the car was detained near the Nilkhet crossing.