Call for Resignation of Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor and Proctor Over Killing of Student Leader

Dhaka, 14 May 2025 – The Bangladesh Student League (Bangladesh Chatra League) has called for the resignation of Dhaka University (DU) Vice-Chancellor, Professor Dr. Niaz Ahmed Khan, and Proctor, Professor Saifuddin Ahmed, over their failure to provide security following the murder of student leader Shahriar Alam Samya (25) at the city’s Sohrawardy Udyan.

On Wednesday, 14 May, at around 12:15 pm, central and university branch leaders and activists of the student organisation gathered at the VC’s residence, near the VC’s square in front of the university, after marching from the university’s Raju Sculpture.

During the protest, the central president of the student league, Rakibul Islam Rakib, warned that if justice was not served for Samya’s murder, they would take action against the interim government.

Later, in the gathering, the general secretary of the student league, Nasir Uddin Nasir, stated, “A politics of murder has started on various campuses. At Dhaka University’s Fazlul Haque Muslim Hall, a mentally unstable person was murdered. A leader of ours was killed at Prime University. Today, it’s the turn of Shahriar Alam Samya, an experienced leader of the student league. The Dhaka University administration was completely inactive in this incident.”

On the night of Tuesday, 13 May, around midnight, Shahriar Alam Samya, the literary and publication secretary of the Sir A.F. Rahman Hall unit of the student league, was stabbed to death at Sohrawardy Udyan. Early in the morning, Samya’s elder brother, Shariful Islam, filed a case at the Shahbagh police station, accusing 10 to 12 individuals. Police have arrested three individuals in connection with the murder.

Following the arrests, police have revealed the identities of the suspects. According to Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) spokesperson Mohammad Talebur Rahman, the three suspects were apprehended from various locations, including Rajabazar, late Tuesday night.

The arrested individuals are: Mohammad Tamim Howlader (30), son of Ershad Howlader from Madaripur Sadar; Palash Sardar (30), son of Kalam Sardar; and Samrat Mallik (28), son of Jatindranath Mallik from Dasar Thana.

Shahbagh Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mohammad Khalid Munzur confirmed the arrests and mentioned that further investigations are ongoing to determine if anyone else was involved in the incident.