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The instruction came during yesterday’s meeting at the state guesthouse Jamuna, where the family of slain BUET student Abrar Fahad met the chief adviser. Abrar’s father Mohammad Barkat Ullah, his younger brother Abrar Fayaz, and uncle Mohammad Mofazzal Hossain were present.

The family requested probes into all political killings allegedly carried out by the then ruling party-backed groups before the uprising.

Abrar’s father also urged the government to take initiatives to expedite the trial of the Abrar murder case.

“My son was brutally beaten to death by political thugs for speaking out for the country,” said the father. “He raised his voice against unequal water-sharing deals.

“His mother still mourns her son every day. No other mother should have to endure such a loss. No mothers should lose their children this way.”

He also appealed to the chief adviser to take steps to build a long-demanded bridge over the Gorai river in Kushtia, saying that some 30,000 people are suffering due to the absence of a bridge.

Abrar Fayaz, a third-year student at BUET, urged the government to make educational institutions more student-friendly.

“Our campuses still lack essential labs, equipment, and resources for learning. We have high hopes for the interim government,” said Fayaz. “We want it to take effective steps to make educational institutions more supportive of students.”

He also called on the authorities to take strict measures against ragging at BUET.

“This was not the first incident of abuse at BUET,” he said. “There have been others. Those cases also need to be investigated and justice delivered.”

Yunus said the brutal killing of Abrar had shocked the entire nation.

“The perpetrators will be brought to justice. Each killing carried out by party-affiliated groups before the July 24 uprising will be investigated, as will those executed using state forces on government orders. The government has already begun taking action.”

Abrar, a second-year student, was beaten to death on October 6, 2019, at Sher-e-Bangla Hall by leaders and activists of the BUET unit of Chhatra League, now a banned organisation.

The incident triggered nationwide protests and outrage, prompting the university to ban all forms of student politics on campus.

On December 8, 2021, a Dhaka court sentenced the accused. On March 16 this year, the High Court upheld the trial court verdict sentencing 20 BUET students to death and five others to life imprisonment.