Shammo 'killed while trying to stop drug dealers from selling marijuana' at Suhrawardy Udyan

Six months after the fatal stabbing of Dhaka University student SM Shahriar Alam Shammo, investigators have found drug peddlers responsible for the killing.

In its chargesheet over the incident, police said Shammo, a leader of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, and his friends were attacked by drug dealers in May after they told them to stop selling marijuana inside Suhrawardy Udyan.

“Seven people have been charged in the case. Four others have been recommended for discharge as the allegations against them could not be proven. Shammo was stabbed to death because he tried to stop them from selling marijuana in Suhrawardy Udyan,” said Inspector Akhtar Morshed of the Detective Branch (DB), who led the investigation.

Shammo was stabbed while riding a motorcycle through the park on the night of May 13. His friends subsequently rushed him to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead around midnight.

Shammo was a student at the Institute of Education and Research at Dhaka University. A resident of AF Rahman Hall, he served as the literature and publication secretary of the hall's Chhatra Dal unit.

On May 14, his elder brother Shariful Islam filed a case at Shahbagh Police Station against 10-12 unidentified suspects. Police said three people were arrested that day.

After completing the investigation, the DB submitted the chargesheet on Thursday, accusing seven people described as drug peddlers.

Those named in the chargesheet are Mehedi Hasan, Md Rabbi alias Kobutor Rabbi, Md Ripon alias Akash, Nahid Hasan Papel, Md Hridoy Islam, Md Harunur Rashid Sohag alias Lombu Sohag, and Md Robin.

According to the authorities, all seven have already been arrested.

Four others, Tamim Howlader, Samrat Mallik, Palash Sardar, and Sujon Sarker, were recommended for discharge due to lack of evidence.

According to the chargesheet, the accused were all known drug sellers operating in Suhrawardy Udyan. Led by Mehedi Hasan, they sold marijuana near the temple gate area of the park and deposited their earnings with him.

Before the incident, Ripon and Rabbi had failed to hand over the full sale proceeds to Mehedi, claiming that local thugs had snatched their money. Mehedi instructed his associates to stand together in such situations and even supplied them with switchblades and electric tasers.

Shammo and his friends had reportedly told them several times to stop selling drugs inside the park, which sparked hostility between the two sides.

On the night of the incident, Rabbi was allegedly selling marijuana near Mukto Moncho, armed with an electric taser, with Papel and Ripon beside him. When Shammo and two friends approached on a motorcycle and saw Rabbi, they told him to stop.

Rabbi tried to flee, but Shammo chased him on the bike and caught him near the Golpukur area. Shammo tried to seize the taser from him and reportedly slapped Rabbi when he refused to hand it over.

Hearing Rabbi’s screams, Papel, Ripon, Mehedi, Sohag, Hridoy, and Robin rushed to the scene and clashed with Shammo and his friends. During the scuffle, a passer-by’s motorcycle fell and broke its mirror, prompting its owner, Palash, to tell them to take the fight elsewhere.

According to the chargesheet, the attackers then punched Palash unconscious. When Samrat Mallik tried to intervene, Mehedi stabbed him with a switchblade. Seeing this, Tamim also tried to help but was beaten.

Meanwhile, Papel was grappling with Shammo. To free him, Mehedi punched Shammo, and Rabbi stabbed him in the right thigh with a switchblade. As people nearby began shouting, the attackers fled southwards.

Later, a man named Sujon Sarker said he saw the injured men lying near the Kali Temple gate on his way home. In a Facebook Live video after hearing news of Shammo's death, he said: “If his friends had taken him to the hospital sooner, he might not have died from blood loss.”

Plaintiff Shariful Islam said, “We only want justice. No one should escape punishment through legal loopholes. If they go free, they will harm society. We want a fair trial for my brother’s murder.”

He added that Shammo was the youngest of four brothers and had a bright future ahead.

“Our mother died in 2016, and our father, who had been working abroad, came back afterwards. Shammo was very dear to everyone. He used to teach at the Udbhas Coaching Centre in Dhaka. My brother and his wife are both doctors at PG Hospital. Shammo lived with them.

“He was planning to go abroad for higher studies, but now he’s gone. We can’t get him back. We just want justice for his killing.”