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Killing of Tofazzal Hossain
Killing of Tofazzal Hossain
Part of Violence of Bangladesh Chhatra League
	Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, University of Dhaka, where he was beaten to death
Location	Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, Dhaka University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Coordinates	23°43′33″N 90°24′12″E / 23.7259°N 90.4034°E
Date	18 September 2024
Attack type	Lynching, mob violence
Victim	Tofazzal Hossain
Motive	Suspicion of mobile theft
Accused	6
Charges	Murder
Litigation	Ongoing (confessions submitted under Section 164 of CrPC, case under investigation by Dhaka Metropolitan Police)

On 18 September 2024, Tofazzal Hossain was beaten to death by students at Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall in the University of Dhaka.^[5]^[6]^[7] Accused of stealing cellphones, Hossain was subjected to severe physical violence which lead to his death.^[8]^[9]

Background

Tofazzal Hossain

Hossain was from Kathaltoli Union, Patharghata Upazila, Barguna District.^[8] He did his master's degree in accounting at the Government Suhrawardi College.^[10]^[5] His father, Abdur Rahman,^[10] died in 2016 in a road accident.^[11] In 2016 his mother, Beauty Begum,^[10] died from cancer.^[11] Nasir Uddin, his older brother, a sub-inspector of Bangladesh Police, also died from cancer on 7 April 2023.^[11]^[10] He had developed mental problems after these deaths according to his cousins. He used to roam around the campus of the University of Dhaka and would take food offered by students.^[11]^[5] He was 35 at the time of his death.^[11]

Incident

Tofazzal Hossain was detained by students at the University of Dhaka following the theft of six cellphones during a cricket match. Hossain was taken to the Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, where he was subjected to physical violence and torture.^[11] Students including three Chhatra League leader and two active member^[12]^[13] inflicted injuries upon him using cricket bats and stumps. After a brief period, Hossain was provided with a meal from the hall canteen, but the violence continued at the extension building guest room right after he finished his meal.^[11] The students contacted Hossain's relatives, demanding a sum of money. A proctor team arrived at the scene but was unable to secure Hossain's immediate release. As Hossain's condition deteriorated, he was eventually handed over to the proctors, who transported him to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.^[11]

Reaction

Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, the advisor overseeing the Ministry of Home Affairs, expressed regret over the deaths of Tofazzal Hossain and the incident at Jahangirnagar University.^[14] Supreme Court lawyer ZI Khan Panna, however, criticized Chowdhury for "merely expressing regret without taking further action".^[14] Another lawyer, Jyotirmoy Barua, commented on the broader issue, stating,

"After the dictator (Sheikh Hasina) was deposed through an uprising, a group of people now believe that they can dispense justice as they want, and the authorities would comply with whatever they say."

The University of Dhaka condemned the incident, and student organizations such as the Democratic Student Alliance and Students Against Repression organized protests at both the University of Dhaka and Jahangirnagar University.^[15] Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal also condemned extrajudicial killings during a protest at the Dhaka University Teacher-Student Center. Zonayed Saki of the Ganosanhati Andolan criticized the murder, while the Left Democratic Alliance called for the arrest and punishment of those responsible.^[15]^[16]^[17]

In relation to the murder, police detained six students by September 19.^[12] Among them, three were identified as former leaders of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), while two were active members.^[18]

On September 20, the six detained students provided confessional statements in court under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.^[13] In addition, Mohammad Amanullah, the supervisor of the estate office at the University of Dhaka, filed a murder case with Shahbagh Police Station.^[19] The university also handed over two other students suspected of involvement in the crime to law enforcement authorities.^[20]