JnU student, asst proctor arrested over Abontika’s death

Police have arrested Jagannath University student Amman Siddique and Assistant Proctor Din Islam over the death of pupil Fairuz Abontika by suicide.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch assisted in the arrests of Amman and Din in a case started in Cumilla, DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman said on Saturday evening.

Earlier in the day, protesters at the university in the capital threatened to besiege Vice-Chancellor Sadeka Halim’s office on Sunday if the arrests were not made.

Besides justice for Abontika, they demanded the expulsion of Amman and Din, security of Abontika’s family, and freedom of the institute’s cell against sexual abuse to operate.

Protests were also held in Cumilla city, where Abontika lived with her family. In Dhaka, she stayed in a hostel for her studies.

Abontika hanged herself from a ceiling fan at her home in Cumilla on Friday night.

Before her death, she accused Amman of sexual harassment through “online comments.”

She added that Assistant Proctor Din defended Amman, and threatened to expel her.

“It’s technically murder, not suicide,” she said, describing how her “efforts to live on failed after threats online and offline.”

Amman and Din denied the allegations.

Amman said Abontika might have been distressed over a general diary, which accused her of spreading rumours about Amman and others via a fake Facebook ID in 2022. He said Abontika had admitted to her “mistake” at that time.