In Chattogram’s Sitakunda, an angry crowd has beaten and hacked to death a 50-year-old man accused of taking a 15-year-old boy from his home, torturing him and killing him. Locals claim the dead man was a known drug dealer. Several houses belonging to him and buildings said to have been used as drug dens were also vandalised and set on fire.
The incident took place on Saturday night in South Bhaterkhil village of Muradpur union in the upazila. The man killed was a resident of the area. Police say he faced four cases under the murder and narcotics laws.
According to police and local sources, on the night of 20 July the man and his associates took the boy and another young man, 20, from their homes over the disappearance of some of the man’s yaba.
It is alleged that they were tortured there. The boy was struck with a sharp weapon and left seriously injured in front of the house. Money was demanded from the family of the 20-year-old in return for releasing him. The family says he was freed after 30,000 taka was paid.
The seriously injured boy was admitted to Chattogram Medical College Hospital, where he died on Saturday afternoon while undergoing treatment.
The boy’s funeral prayer was held at about 5 p.m. on Saturday. According to local people, a protest about the torture of the boy was made over a loudspeaker after the funeral prayer. At that time the accused man is alleged to have fired several blank rounds, which inflamed the situation further. Several hundred people from four villages then went out looking for him.
Locals say he was seized at night from the cowshed of a nearby house. At about 11 p.m. the angry crowd gave him a mob beating. At one point he was hacked to death with a sharp weapon.
Police said that after the killing, his houses and several premises alleged to be connected with the drug trade were vandalised and set on fire. Vandalism also took place in various parts of ward 2 of Muradpur union at noon on Sunday. Police detained two men, aged 45 and 50, from the scene. Police say they were associates of the dead man. One has been sent to court; the other, who was injured, has been sent to Chattogram Medical College Hospital.
The dead boy’s uncle said: “He was a boy from a poor family. He was a good boy. He and the other young man were taken from their homes and tortured over the disappearance of the man’s yaba.” He described serious injuries inflicted on the boy.
The mother of the 20-year-old said: “That man’s people took my son away. Even after much pleading I could not get him released. I got him back after paying 30,000 taka.”
The 20-year-old, under treatment in hospital, said: “I was taken hostage from my home. The boy was hacked and tortured in front of me. Money was then demanded from my family. I was released after 30,000 taka was paid.”
The son of the man who was killed said 22 of their dwellings had been burned down. Along with the looting of household goods, he claimed, one CNG auto-rickshaw, two power tillers, a van and three motorcycles had been burned. He alleged that local Jamaat leaders and workers were involved in the attack and arson.
The member for ward 2 of Muradpur union, Md Ezaharul Islam, denied the allegation and said the man had long been involved in the drug trade. No BNP leader or worker had any connection with him, he said.
The OC of Sitakunda police station, Md Mohinul Islam, said a case had been filed at the station on Saturday over the boy’s killing. After the boy’s funeral prayer, angry local people killed the accused man. Vandalism and arson also took place at his houses and at several premises alleged to be connected with the drug trade. Legal action is being taken in these matters, he said.
Locals claim the man had long been involved in the drug trade and that he faced four cases under the murder and narcotics laws. Locals also claim there were allegations of his involvement in the killing of Mohammad Shamim, the organising secretary of Sitakunda municipality Awami League, who was taken from his home and killed on 8 April.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report