Pall of gloom descends on RU campus

A pall of gloom descended on Rajshahi University campus as the friends, classmates, alumni, teachers and well-wishers bid adieu to Mahmud Habib Himel, a fourth-year student of Fine Arts faculty, who died on Tuesday night after a truck rammed over his bike inside the campus.

Himel’s body was first brought to the Fine Arts faculty premises. Keeping there for some time, the body was taken to the Mukto Mancha (amphitheater) of the university Shaheed Minar where teachers, students, friends and classmates burst into tears.

Later, the body was taken to central mosque premises for namaz-e-janaza around 11am. Hundreds of thousands of students joined the funeral prayer.

After the namaz-e-janaza Himel was taken to his Natore’s maternal home accompanied by the university Vice-Chancellor, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, student advisor, administrative high officials and students full with eight buses.

Himel was a final year student of Graphic Design department and general secretary of the Rajshahi University Drama Association.

He was a residential student of room number 212 at Shaheed Shamsuzzoha Hall.

Raihan Rimel, another student in the same year, was taken to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital in critical condition.

Himel’s body was not removed from the scene for nearly two and a half hours. Several members of the university administration and the faculty attempted to calm the students but were unable to do so.

The body was finally taken to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for autopsy at 10:45 pm.

Hundreds of agitated students gathered at the scene of the accident and set fire to five trucks involved in construction work. They also vandalised the building under construction and set fire to two rooms.

The students blocked police and fire service vehicles when they attempted to enter the campus.

A number of students blocked the Dhaka-Rajshahi Highway in front of the campus gates for three hours. They then set tires on fire in front of the vice chancellor’s residence in protest.

Following the agitation, VC Golam Sabbir Sattar proclaimed verbally to discharge assistant proctor Liaqat Ali.

A case will be filed over the incident and Himel’s family will be given taka 5 lakh compensation within Wednesday, Golam Sabbir Sattar further assured.