Classes, exams boycotted at DU amid protest over Shahriar’s murder

Classes and examinations at Dhaka University were suspended today as students enforced a full-day strike in protest of the murder of fellow student Shahriar Alam Shammo.

The university administration had initially declared a half-day suspension, but students, under the banner of 'Students Against Terrorism,' rejected this as inadequate and called for a complete boycott of academic and administrative activities, according to local media. 

Protesters demanded the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Niaz Ahmed Khan and Proctor Dr. Saifuddin Ahmed, accusing them of failing to ensure student safety on campus. By midday, students had locked the gates of the Arts Building and the Faculty of Social Sciences. A protest rally was scheduled for 5:00 PM at the base of the Aparajeyo Bangla sculpture. 

Members of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of the BNP, also staged demonstrations, including a protest in front of the Vice-Chancellor’s residence around noon, demanding the arrest and trial of those responsible for Shammo's murder. 

Shahriar Alam Shammo, a postgraduate student from the 2018–19 session of the Institute of Education and Research and Literary and Publications Secretary of the Sir AF Rahman Hall unit of Chhatra Dal, was fatally stabbed on Tuesday night near Suhrawardy Udyan following an altercation over a motorcycle collision.

In response to the incident, the university authorities formed a seven-member committee to investigate the murder, with a report expected within three working days. Police have arrested three suspects in connection with the killing.