Shammo Murder: Chhatra Dal Withdraws from Shahbagh

Leaders and activists of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) vacated Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection on Sunday afternoon after staging a nearly two-hour blockade demanding justice for Shahriar Alam Shammo, a Dhaka University student and JCD leader who was recently murdered.

The protest severely disrupted traffic, causing long tailbacks and public suffering in the area. Movement of vehicles resumed shortly after the demonstrators left.

Several hundred JCD members began the blockade around 3:45pm, chanting slogans against what they termed as negligence in the murder investigation and calling for the immediate arrest of those responsible.

Top JCD leaders, including President Rakibul Islam and General Secretary Nasir Uddin, joined the protest near the Shahbagh metro rail station, along with activists from the organization’s Dhaka North and South units and various public universities.

In speeches delivered during the demonstration, Rakibul and Nasir demanded the resignation of the Dhaka University vice-chancellor and proctor, warning of intensified movements if their demands are not fulfilled promptly.

Meanwhile, Dhaka University students again surrounded the Shahbagh police station following the expiry of a 48-hour ultimatum they had issued earlier. Before marching to the police station, they held a brief rally at the base of the Anti-terrorism Raju Memorial Sculpture, where university faculty also expressed solidarity.

The demonstration stems from the killing of Shammo, who was fatally stabbed by unidentified attackers in Suhrawardy Udyan on the night of 13 May. He was declared dead after being rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Shammo, a student of the 2018–19 session at the Institute of Education and Research and literature secretary of the JCD’s AF Rahman Hall unit, was remembered by peers and political allies as a committed activist.

His brother, Shariful Islam, filed a case at Shahbagh police station on 14 May against 10–12 unidentified individuals. That same day, police arrested three suspects – Tamim Hawlader, Palash Sardar, and Samrat Mallik – and produced them in court.

On Saturday, the trio was remanded for six days each by Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Shahin Reza after police sought a 10-day remand to further investigate their involvement in the killing.