He could not see justice for daughter before death

Father of Buet student Sabekun Nahar Sony -- who died in the crossfire between two factions of the Chhatra Dal two decades ago -- has passed away yesterday morning.

Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan breathed his last around 8:00am while undergoing treatment at Ibn Sina Hospital in the capital. He was suffering from cancer, Habibur's son Maksudur Rahman told The Daily Star.

Sony's cousin Adil Ahmed Tutul said Habibur was diagnosed with cancer two months ago. Since then, he has been receiving treatment regularly.

His namaz-e-janaza was held at Bijeshwar village in Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila after Esha prayers. His body will then be buried there, Adil said.

"He had long hoped to see Sony's murder brought to justice. But in the end, he was unable to do so," Adil added.

Sony, a second-year student of chemical engineering department at Buet, was killed after being caught in the crossfire, during a factional clash between two feuding groups of BNP-backed student body Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal in June 2002 on Buet campus.

In its verdict in March 2006, the High Court gave life imprisonment to three absconding convicts. Of them, Mokammel Hayat Khan Muki and Nurul Islam Sagor have still not been arrested. The verdict could not be executed. Mushfiq Uddin Tagor and four other convicts in the case are in jail now.

Imran Habib Rumon, a former Buet student, said they held a protest in front of the university's MA Rashid Hall demanding Muki's arrest after the killing.

"Muki was still inside the dormitory at that time. But the university authorities called in the police to the campus. The law enforcers then charged truncheons on us, instead of arresting the killer."

Many students were suspended for taking part in the demonstrations and the university was closed down for 63 days to end the protests, he said.

Sony's family also had to fight the case in court on their own.