Islamic University Teacher Asma Sadia Runa Murdered by Employee in Her Office

A tragic incident at Islamic University (IU) in Kushtia has claimed the life of Asma Sadia Runa, Chairperson of the Department of Social Welfare and Assistant Professor. She was stabbed multiple times in her office by a staff member named Fazlu, who then turned the knife on himself.

The attack occurred on Wednesday (4 March) afternoon in the department room. Runa was rushed to Kushtia Sadar Hospital in critical condition around 5:00 pm, where on-duty doctors declared her dead.

Hospital Residential Medical Officer (RMO) Dr. Imam Hossain confirmed the death.

According to witnesses and university sources, the assault stemmed from ongoing resentment over salary disputes and Fazlu’s recent transfer from the Social Welfare Department to the Department of Political Science. Fazlu, a long-serving employee who reportedly struggled to accept the transfer, entered Runa’s locked office and carried out the attack.

An Ansar member on duty at the time recounted: “We were chatting downstairs with 3-4 civilians. Suddenly we heard cries of ‘Save me! Save me!’ We rushed upstairs, knocked on the Chairperson’s door, and when no one opened, we broke in. We found Madam lying face down in a pool of blood, and the staff member was stabbing his own throat. We immediately informed the administration.”

A student from the department, Mahmud, said: “Fazlu was transferred about 1-2 months ago. He couldn’t accept it. There was a lot of tension over this. But we never imagined it would escalate to this level.”

He added: “We were busy with a program in the department. Habib Sir was present earlier but left for the dormitory about 30 minutes before. Our program was scheduled for 5:00 pm. At that time, no other staff or officers were in the department. We were in one room. Taking advantage of the situation, he carried out this suicidal attack. Madam’s room was not locked from before—he entered and locked it from inside.”

Both victims were taken to hospital. While Runa succumbed to her injuries, Fazlu’s condition remains critical.