A dispute over a residential meal inside a student lodging house in Khulna ended in tragedy after a first-year undergraduate died from severe injuries, prompting a full homicide investigation by local law enforcement authorities.
The deceased student, 22-year-old Md Ajmol Hossain, hailed from Boro Solua village in the Darshana area of Chuadanga. He was enrolled in the Department of English at North Western University in Khulna. The fatal sequence of events occurred on Friday night at a rented student mess situated along Islamnagar Road, near Khulna University’s Hall Road in the Harintana police area.
According to residential norms at the establishment, boarders were required to confirm their daily meals in advance. On the night of the incident, Ajmol allegedly consumed a meal designated for another boarder without prior notice. What began as a minor domestic disagreement over dining etiquette rapidly escalated into a heated confrontation with fellow residents.
Family members alleged that the conflict swiftly metastasised beyond the original dining infraction. Flatmates accused Ajmol of stealing money, alongside allegations involving a missing mobile phone and a laptop. Aggrieved residents forcefully relocated him to the rooftop of the five-storey building, where he was subjected to a sustained physical assault. His attackers also forcibly shaved his head during the ordeal.
Sometime during or immediately following the assault, Ajmol fell from the top of the five-storey structure, sustaining multiple traumatic injuries across his body. Medical personnel at Khulna Medical College Hospital registered his death in the early hours of Saturday morning, between 1:30 am and 2:30 am, shortly after he was brought to the emergency unit.
Investigators are attempting to determine whether Ajmol was deliberately pushed from the height or fell while attempting to escape his violent assailants. The final determination awaits comprehensive post-mortem findings and forensic reports.
“My son called me around nine o’clock that evening,” recalled Md Kutub Uddin, the victim’s grieving father. “He explained that a dispute had broken out because he ate a meal without telling anyone, and that they were making false accusations of theft against him. When I spoke to the boys involved, they demanded one hundred thousand Taka from me.”
The cook responsible for preparing meals at the residence corroborated that Ajmol had consumed the portion without registering it beforehand. She confirmed hearing that the subsequent interrogation by fellow residents expanded into accusations regarding stolen cash and personal electronics.
Harintana Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Iqbal Hossain confirmed that initial inquiries on the scene corroborated evidence of a violent beating. Law enforcement officers recovered a wooden stave from the rooftop, which is believed to have been utilized in the attack.
“We have formally requested Call Detail Records to thoroughly evaluate the extortion demand made to the victim’s father,” stated Officer-in-Charge Hossain. He added that investigators are actively pursuing every individual present during the assault.
Hospital personnel noted that the individuals who transported the critically injured student to the facility fled the premises immediately upon his death being pronounced. Police consider identifying and interrogating these individuals a vital element of the ongoing inquiry.
North Western University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Kanai Lal Sarkar characterized the circumstances surrounding the newly admitted student’s death as deeply alarming. The university administration extended direct support to the bereaved family, advising them to initiate formal legal proceedings. Senior officers confirmed that should the family refrain from filing a direct complaint, the police force will file a case on behalf of the state to ensure a thorough prosecution of all responsible parties.
