Body of KUET teacher buried again after autopsy

 

Live Correspondent: The body of Md Selim Hossain, a professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) at Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET), has been buried after completion of an autopsy.

The body was buried at a graveyard at Banshgram village under Kumarkhali upazila in Kushtia district at about 8:00pm on Thursday in presence of a team from Kumarkhali Police Station.

Khulna's Khanjahan Ali Police Station officer in-charge (OC) Prabir Kumar Bishwas confirmed the matter.

He said after being exhumed on Wednesday, the body was first taken to Kushtia General Hospital and then, sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

Conducting an autopsy there, the body of professor Selim, later, was handed over to his family, OC Prabir said.

Earlier on December 5, the KUET acting registrar Anisur Rahman, on behalf of the university, sent a letter to Khulna district police and requested to re-investigate the matter mentioning the death of Professor Selim was an 'unnatural death'.

Later, Khulna Khanjahan Ali Police Station inspector (investigation) Shahriar Hasan pleaded before a court for conducting an autopsy after exhuming the body from the grave.

On December 3, the authorities closed the university until December 13 and instructed students to leave their respective halls by 4:00pm on the day. The closure, later on December 12, was extended till December 23.

The development came as a tense situation has been prevailing on the campus since the death of professor Selim on November 30. He was also the provost of Lalan Shah Hall of the university.

Students and teachers alleged that the BCL activists mentally tortured him centering an election of dining manager of the hall.

The KUET Teachers' Association had called for abstention from academic activities over the death until an action is taken after scrutinizing the CCTV footage.

However, the university authorities formed a three-member probe committee to investigate the incident.

It was learnt that a group of students, led by KUET unit BCL general secretary Sadman Nahian Sejan, confronted Selim at noon of November 30 over the election after intercepting his way on the campus.  

They then, went to the teacher's office and held a closed-door meeting with him for about half an hour. Later, Selim returned his residence adjacent to the campus for lunch.

As he did not get out from the bathroom after a long while and his wife Rita Khanam did not get any response despite several times of calling, they broke open the door and found him unconscious.

He was taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) where the on-duty doctor declared him dead. The KUET teacher died of cardiac arrest, Rita said quoting the hospital physicians.