Murder case filed after student death at Lakshmipur residential academy
A murder case has been filed following the death of 14-year-old Mehedi Hasan, an eighth-grade residential student at the Farid Ahmed Bhuiyan Academy in Ramganj, Lakshmipur. The victim's father, Zia Uddin, initiated the legal proceedings at the Ramganj police station on Thursday afternoon, naming eight individuals as defendants while implicating an additional nine to ten unidentified suspects.
According to the filed complaint, the victim was subjected to severe physical and mental abuse after being accused of stealing a mobile phone. The family alleges that Hasan died due to the severity of this torture and that efforts were subsequently made to obscure the circumstances of the crime.
The incident came to light on Tuesday afternoon when the teenager's body was recovered hanging in the academy’s dormitory. The discovery sparked immediate local unrest, leading to a four-hour standoff during which protesters vandalized the school premises. Tensions remained high into Wednesday, as demonstrators gathered outside the police station with the victim’s body, demanding accountability before his eventual burial.
In response to the escalating situation, academy principal Khandakar Abdul Mannan announced a seven-day closure of the institution. In a formal statement, the principal acknowledged that the student had indeed been subjected to physical and mental abuse prior to his death.
Demands for justice have since intensified across the community. On Thursday afternoon, students and guardians organized a protest march near the Ramganj Government College gate, followed by a public demonstration at the town’s central intersection.
Ramganj Police Station Officer-in-Charge Firoz Uddin Chowdhury confirmed that the investigation is being treated as a high-priority case. While no arrests have been made to date, multiple police teams are working to identify and apprehend the suspects. Authorities stated that while the investigation is ongoing, a definitive cause of death will be established pending the final autopsy report.
