Former Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur alumnus Shan E Rownok Basunia testified at the International Crimes Tribunal-2 yesterday, recalling the tragic incident where Abu Sayed was fatally shot during the protests for quota reform on July 16, 2024. Rownok, the 19th prosecution witness at the tribunal, recounted the events at Gate 1 of the university, where a confrontation unfolded as students attempted to enter the campus following reports of some students being confined by BCL activists amid the nationwide anti-discrimination movement. He detailed how the situation escalated when police fired on the protesters while BCL members, university officials, and staff threw bricks at the students. Despite the students managing to breach the gate, tensions soared as police inside the campus fired again, causing chaos. Rownok sought refuge near Biam Market outside the gate, from where he witnessed a student with raised arms and exposed chest facing the police. He tragically observed the student being shot multiple times and collapsing on the road divider. Rownok, along with others, rushed to assist the fallen student but was himself injured, sustaining two gunshot wounds. Although he did not seek medical attention, he later discovered that the student was Abu Sayed, a 25-year-old English department student who succumbed to his injuries at Rangpur Medical College Hospital around 3:30 pm. The case involves thirty individuals, including former BRUR VC Prof Hasibur Rashid and former Rangpur Metropolitan Police commissioner Md Moniruzzaman, who stand accused in the matter.
