DHAKA, Oct 6, 2025 (BSS) - The sixth martyrdom anniversary of BUET student Abrar Fahad will be observed across the country tomorrow through various programmes, including a nationwide documentary screening, seminars, and calls for observing the day as “Anti-Oppression Day.”

Branches of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy will screen a special documentary titled ‘You Failed to Kill Abrar Fahad’ at 7pm tomorrow to pay tribute to the slain student whose death sparked a nationwide movement against campus violence in 2019.
 
The documentary will be screened simultaneously at all district Shilpakala Academies under the initiative of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs while Abrar Fahad’s father is expected to attend the central screening at the Jatiya Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka.

“Abrar Fahad’s sacrifice has become a powerful symbol of the threat to Bangladesh’s sovereignty in the post-independence era. Through the July Mass Uprising, the nation has “reclaimed its sovereignty,” and Abrar Fahad emerged as one of its greatest heroes,” Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki told BSS. 

The adviser said,” For this reason, the government this year honoured him with the Independence Award this year.”
“Noting that the spirit of the Liberation War has always been rooted in the protection of sovereignty. By embodying that spirit, Abrar Fahad and what he represents have now become a vanguard of the Liberation War itself,” said the adviser.  

Meanwhile, cultural ministry has decided to include two politically significant days — Abrar Fahad’s death anniversary on October 7 and the BDR Massacre Day on February 25 — as annual observances. 

From this year onward, these days will be commemorated officially under the ministry’s initiative alongside other cultural and historical events.

Moreover, two major student organisations — Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) and Bangladesh Islami Chhatrashibir — have outlined their own programmes to pay tribute to Abrar Fahad, calling for ensuring freedom of expression and an end to campus violence.
 
Marking the day, JCD) will hold a discussion titled ‘From Expression to Death: Expansion and Resistance of Fascism in Educational Institutions’ at the TSC Auditorium of Dhaka University at 2:30pm tomorrow.

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed will attend the discussion as the chief guest.

Bangladesh Islami Chhatrashibir will observe the day as “Anti-Oppression Day” nationwide. They urged the government to officially declare the day as ‘National Anti-Oppression Day’ in memory of Abrar Fahad.

Shibir announced a series of programmes on the day which include branch-based discussions and prayers, anti-oppression seminars and symposiums at educational institutions, and awareness campaigns on social media against campus violence and political hegemony. 

They also called for legal initiatives against those responsible for torture and killings on campuses during the fascist regime.

Abrar Fahad, a BUET student was beaten to death in his dormitory on October 7, 2019, allegedly by activists of the then-ruling party’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League.

Across the country, various student and cultural organisations will hold discussions, prayers, and remembrance programmes in memory of Abrar.