Staff Correspondent

Two students, Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mughdha from Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) and Farhan Faiyaz from Dhaka Residential Model School and College were killed last week under suspicious circumstances amid the ongoing quota reform protests.

Authorities suspect that these students may have been deliberately targeted and murdered by activists associated with Jamaat-Shibir and the BNP.

Their deaths have sparked widespread speculation on social media.

In a Facebook Post, Information Minister Mohammad Ali Arafat wrote on Friday evening, “Meer Mughdha, why was this youth killed just a day after writing [on his Facebook] that the Jamaat-Shibir and BNP activists have infiltrated into the student movement? We can guess who has killed him and why?

The junior minister also said that an independent judicial investigation would reveal the truth.

Mughdha was shot dead within 24 hours of writing against political infiltration into the student protests.

In his Facebook post, Mughdha wrote: "A message to Jamaat-Shibir and Chhatra Dal: Do not infiltrate the student movement and turn it into a political party's agenda. If you had the guts, you would have come earlier. Do not ruin the purpose of our movement with your opportunistic behaviour, and do not expose your true nature. If you are a student, come as a student. Our movement needs students, not leaders with ulterior motives."

Mughdha

Faiyaz, similarly, was lured into the protests by his tutor, a known Shibir leader, and was also shot dead.

Mughdha’s friend, Naimur Rahman Ashiq, recounted how they were distributing water and biscuits to protesters when suddenly shots were fired, killing Mughdha.

Addressing an event on Thursday, the Minister of State for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, also claimed that criminals dressed as law enforcement officers had attacked students to tarnish the image of the police.

Police sources have indicated that infiltrators caused significant violence and vandalism during the protests, targeting government buildings and public properties.

They also said that the police had made every effort to protect lives and property, resulting in injuries and fatalities among officers as well.

Experts suggest that the violence was premeditated, with certain groups exploiting the protests to cause chaos and blame the authorities.

They opined that infiltrators within the student movement committed acts of sabotage to destroy public and state property.

Police fired shots to protect themselves and prevent further damage, resulting in several fatalities.

Criminologist Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury said, "The quota reform movement was legitimate, but a group infiltrated it to carry out sabotage across the country, targeting public and state property. They even broke prisoners out of jail. This wasn't the work of students. Saboteurs planned these actions over a long period. Each victim of the movement, whether a student, pedestrian, or professional, should have an autopsy to determine if they were shot by police or saboteurs."

"The authorities should thoroughly investigate each incident and bring the culprits to justice to prevent future occurrences," he added.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Additional Commissioner (Detective Branch) Mohammad Harun-Or-Rashid said, "BNP-Jamaat has repeatedly tried to topple the democratic government and make the country dysfunctional. Their attempts have failed due to police vigilance time and again.”

“This time, they targeted the police, executing planned attacks and destruction to weaken us. Those who killed police and civilians, and conducted sabotage against public infrastructure, will not be spared wherever they are," he added.