DU students besiege police station over Shammo murder

A group of students under the banner of ‘General Students of Bangladesh’ on Friday besieged Shahbagh Police Station, demanding justice for Dhaka University student Shahriar Alam Shammo, who was murdered at Suhrawardy Udyan earlier this week.

The protest began around 11:30am after students gathered in front of the Institute of Education and Research (IER), marched to the Raju sculpture, and then proceeded to the police station chanting slogans seeking justice and a safer campus.

The demonstrators called for swift arrest of those responsible for Shammo’s killing and emphasised the need for a secure environment at the university.

During the demonstration, a delegation comprising IER teachers—Dr Muhammad Abdus Salam, Dr Asim Das, Dr Sirajul Islam—and four students, entered the police station for discussions with law enforcement.

"This is a non-partisan movement," said protester Ibrahim Munshi. "Some political groups are trying to exploit Shammo’s death, but our sole demand is justice. Even after 72 hours, the prime accused remains at large. If arrests are not made within 48 hours, we will announce further action."

Shammo, a student from the 2018–19 academic session at IER and literary and publication secretary of JCD’s AF Rahman Hall unit, was stabbed to death inside Suhrawardy Udyan on Tuesday night. He was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.

Early Wednesday, police detained three youths from the Green Road and Rajabazar areas in connection with the incident. They remain in custody.