Students of Cumilla University (CoU) staged a protest march and human chain demanding justice over the killing of Ishrat Shahriar Apratim, son of Dr Nahida Begum, an associate professor of the Department of Bangla, along with implementation of their four-point demand.

The programme was held at the university’s Gol Chattar on September 21, with students from different departments taking part.

During the demonstration, students chanted slogans including ‘Justice, justice, we want justice’, ‘Why did my brother die? Administration, answer us’, ‘Why was Apratim killed? Administration, answer us’, and other slogans demanding justice.

At the human chain, the students called for a fair investigation into Apratim’s killing, implementation of their four-point demand, and an inquiry into whether any other motive or involvement lay behind the incident. They also alleged negligence in the police investigation and urged the authorities to examine the matter seriously.

Bangla department student Shahnaz Afroze said, ‘We are standing here demanding justice for our brother Apratim. We noticed many inconsistencies in yesterday’s police press briefing. Police say they performed their duty, but why do such incidents keep happening? We also noticed contradictory conduct by police regarding a boy named Anas.’

Another student, Atik Hasan Antor, said, ‘After watching yesterday’s press briefing, I felt there was negligence. Our SP is a gold medallist. It seems to me he received the medal for nurturing juvenile gangs. You know that Tuhin was involved in a motorcycle snatching only a few days ago, but there was no justice over that. If I become a victim of an accident here today, I do not think there will be justice. I feel being born in this country is my lifelong misfortune.’