BANGLADESH

The Jahangirnagar University has decided to rusticate seven students for their alleged involvement in the murder of English department student Zubair Ahmed.

Of these, three are already expelled by the vice-chancellor's decision. At a meeting on Monday, the university syndicate decided to permanently expel them after a probe committee submitted their report, registrar Abu Bakr Siddique told reporters.

The students are: Ashiqul Islam, Khan Mohammad Rais and Jahid Hassan of zoology, Rashedul Islam Raju and Istiak Mahbub Arup of philosophy, Mahbub Akram of government and politics and Nazmus Sakib Tapu of biochemistry.

Along with them, six others have been expelled for two years. All the students are from the university's 37th batch (session 2007-08).

"Police have been asked to include ten more names in the case filed by the university in Zubair's death," Siddique said.

The syndicate had also decided to compensate Zubair's family with Tk 200,000 and employ one of his family members.

Another probe committee had been formed to look into the scuffle at a teachers' committee meeting, the registrar added.

Zubair, a final year undergraduate student of English literature, died at the United Hospital in Dhaka on Jan 9 from excessive bleeding from wounds he had suffered the day before. He was beaten severely, allegedly by activists of a Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) faction on the campus.

The faction is said to be patronised by vice-chancellor professor Sharif Enamul Kabir himself – a charge he denied.