Twenty-five members of Bangladesh's ruling political party have been indicted for beating a university student to death over a social media post that sparked nationwide protest last month.
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A magistrate court issued the indictment order on Monday after investigators pressed murder charges against the accused, prosecution lawyer Hemayet Uddin Khan told reporters in Dhaka.
Abrar Fahad, an electrical engineering student, was allegedly beaten to death by the members of the Awami League party on the campus of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) on October 6.
His body was found at a staircase hours after he was called in by a group of activists from the Awami League's student wing for questioning over the social media post.
He had posted criticism on Facebook of a water-sharing agreement which Bangladesh signed with neighbouring India. The deal was backed by the Awami League.
Police arrested 21 suspects, who are students at the same university, and presented them to the court when the indictment order was passed on Monday.
The court also issued warrants for four others, who have been on the run, before the murder trial is set to begin on December 3, Khan said.
Thousands of BUET students took to the streets after the brutal murder demanding that the authorities bring all the perpetrators to book.
Students in other universities, professionals and political activists in different parts of the country joined the week-long protest calling for swift justice.
Australian Associated Press
