In the murder case of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) student Abrar Fahad, the High Court has upheld the death sentences of 20 individuals and life imprisonment for 5 others. The full 131-page verdict has recently been published on the official website of the Supreme Court.

The verdict was delivered on March 16, 2024, by a High Court bench comprising Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain after hearing the death reference, appeals, and jail appeals filed by the convicts.

Abrar Fahad, a second-year student of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at BUET, was beaten to death on the night of October 6, 2019, inside the Sher-e-Bangla Hall by a group of leaders and activists from the university's Chhatra League unit. The attack followed a Facebook post by Abrar criticizing a bilateral agreement between Bangladesh and India.

Following the incident, Abrar's father, Barkat Ullah, filed a murder case at Chawkbazar Police Station on October 7. The Detective Branch (DB) of police submitted a charge sheet within 37 days, on November 13, 2019.

On December 8, 2021, the trial court sentenced 20 students to death and 5 others to life imprisonment. The case was sent to the High Court for review as a death reference in January 2022. The accused also filed appeals and jail petitions. The High Court began hearings in November 2023 and issued its final verdict in March 2024.

Among the 20 sentenced to death, three remain fugitives. The five sentenced to life in prison include Amit Saha, Ishtiaq Ahmed Munna, Md. Akash Hossain, Muhtasim Fuad, and Moaj alias Moaj Abu Huraira.

Abrar’s brutal killing sparked nationwide outrage and a wave of student protests across the country. In response to the unrest, BUET authorities banned all forms of student politics on campus. To this day, Abrar Fahad remains a symbol of the student movement against injustice in Bangladesh.