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A 25-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death after being branded a mugger and tied to a utility pole in Narayanganj, while another young man was seriously injured in the same incident. A video of the assault has since gone viral on social media.
The incident took place on Saturday night in the city’s Paschim Masdair area. The deceased was identified as Jisan, son of Yunus Mia of Paschim Masdair. Another victim, Anik, is undergoing treatment at a hospital.
The 27-second video circulating online shows two young men tied to an electricity pole with ropes while several people repeatedly beat them with steel pipes and sticks.
According to police and local residents, Jisan and Anik were called out of their homes on Saturday night and taken to the scene, where they were accused of being muggers. They were then tied to the pole and allegedly assaulted by a group of people led by Kawsar Hossain, an organiser of the Al Falah Welfare Organisation and imam of Al Falah Jame Mosque. Jisan sustained critical injuries and was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital, while Anik remains hospitalized.
Jisan’s father, Yunus Mia, told Prothom Alo that his son and Anik were lured out of their home, tied to a pole and brutally beaten. He claimed family members repeatedly pleaded with the attackers to stop, but their requests were ignored. He demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible.
Following the incident, Kawsar Hossain addressed local residents over a loudspeaker. In an audio clip widely shared on social media, he is heard saying: “The people carried out the attack. The people beat the dog to death. There will be no case.” He also claimed, “When we remain united, not even the administration of Bangladesh can do anything to us,” while urging residents to gather whenever called.
Some local residents, however, alleged that Jisan had been involved in mugging and drug dealing and said he had previously been warned over such activities. Those allegations could not be independently verified.
Narayanganj Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Operations) Tarek Al Mehedi said Jisan had previously been accused in a criminal assault case. However, he stressed that no one has the right to take the law into their own hands.
“If a complaint or case is filed regarding the organisation under whose banner this incident took place, legal action will be taken in accordance with the law. Those responsible will be brought to justice,” he said.