Md. Morshed, also known as Morshed Amartya Islam, one of the convicts sentenced to death for the brutal murder of BUET student Abrar Fahad, has filed an appeal with the Appellate Division.
His lawyer, Azizur Rahman Dulu, confirmed the matter on Monday (May 19).
Earlier, on March 16, the High Court upheld the trial court`s verdict, which sentenced 20 accused to death and five others to life imprisonment for the murder of Abrar Fahad.
The verdict was delivered by a High Court bench comprising Justice AKM Asaduzzaman and Justice Syed Enayet Hossain.
Following the release of the full text of the verdict, Morshed Amartya Islam filed an appeal. According to lawyer Dulu, the appeal is based on 10 grounds. One of the key arguments is that no expert witness identified Morshed at the scene, making his presence at the crime scene uncertain and doubtful. The High Court referred to him as a confessional accused, yet he never admitted guilt during the proceedings.
On January 6, 2022, the death reference of the case reached the High Court. As per the Code of Criminal Procedure, any death sentence issued by a trial court must be reviewed and approved by a higher court.
Subsequently, the convicted individuals, including those in custody, filed jail appeals. Some also filed criminal appeals separately.
On December 8, 2021, the Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 of Dhaka, led by Judge Abu Zafar Md. Kamruzzaman, sentenced 20 individuals to death and five others to life imprisonment for their roles in the murder.
The 20 sentenced to death are: Mehedi Hasan Russell, Md. Anik Sarkar (Apu), Mehedi Hasan Robin (Shanto), Ifti Mosharraf Sakal, Md. Moniruzzaman Monir, Meftahul Islam Jion, Md. Majedur Rahman Majed, Md. Mujahidur Rahman Mujahid, Khandaker Tabakarul Islam (Tanvir), Hossain Mohammad Toha, Md. Shamim Billah, Md. Sadat ASM Nazmus Sadat, Muntasir Al Jemi, Md. Mizanur Rahman Mizan, SM Mahmud Setu, Shamsul Arefin Rafat, Md. Morshed (Amartya Islam), Ehtesamul Rabbi (Tanim), Mohammad Morshed Uzzaman Mondol (Jisan), and Mujtaba Rafid.
The five sentenced to life imprisonment are: Amit Saha, Ishtiaq Ahmed Munna, Md. Akash Hossain, Muhtasim Fuad, and Md. Moaz (Moaz Abu Huraira).
Abrar Fahad, a second-year student of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering department at BUET and a resident of Sher-e-Bangla Hall, was brutally beaten to death on October 6, 2019. The murder followed a Facebook post by Abrar in which he criticized unequal treaties and water aggression by India.
He was taken to a room by activists of the student wing of the ruling party and tortured to death. Police recovered his body from the stairway of the dormitory around 3:00 AM.
On the following day, October 7, Abrar’s father, Barkat Ullah, filed a murder case with Chawkbazar Police Station against 19 individuals. The investigation was completed in just 37 days, and Detective Branch Inspector Md. Wahiduzzaman submitted the charge sheet on November 13 of the same year.
