'We want justice for Abrar': Edmonton group rallies for 21-year-old Bangladeshi student killed

Justice demanded for killed Bangladeshi student Dozens gathered at the Alberta legislature on Sunday demanding justice for 21-year-old Abrar Fahad.

EDMONTON -- A group is calling on the Canadian government to take action after a Bangladeshi undergraduate student was killed after he criticized his government.

A few dozen people gathered at the Alberta legislature on Sunday to demand justice for 21-year-old Abrar Fahad, a second-year-student at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) who was found dead on campus Oct. 6.

Friends say Fahad was beaten to death by fellow students because he criticized a water deal with India made by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

For some of those who gathered in Edmonton, the crime hit very close to home.

"I went to that room many times when I was a student there, so I couldn't believe," said event organizer Md. Mizanur Rahman.

"When I was a student, the environment was not like that. So we are very saddened about that incident."

Rahman told CTV News Edmonton he wants to see all campuses in Bangladesh made safe for students.

"We want to raise our voice so (the) Alberta government and Canadian government tell the Bangladeshi government to stop this kind of killing," he said.

As well, the protestors want to see a fair trial for the students who were arrested.

Surveillance footage showed Fahad being taken by a group of students to the room he was found in.

Twenty-five people have charged in connection to Fahad's death.

Rahman said, "We would like to let Abrar know: We are with you. And we want justice for Abrar."

Similar protests have been held across Bangladesh and at universities around the world.