Police have arrested a young woman, Afrin Rashid Sejuti, 20, in a case over an assault, vandalism and cash robbery at the chamber of veterinarian Dr. Md Ashiqur Rahman in Mymensingh city.
She was arrested Sunday, August 23, from the city’s Akua area. Talhajur Rahman, joint general secretary of Metropolitan Chhatra Dal, has already been expelled from the party over allegations of involvement in the incident.
According to police and the complaint, veterinarian Dr. Ashiqur Rahman runs a chamber called “Doctors Pet Care” in an alley beside the city’s Zilla School, where he treats pets and sells various pet-care supplies. The doctor alleges that several people entered his chamber on the evening of last Thursday and demanded 500,000 taka in extortion money. When he refused to pay, he was beaten and the chamber was vandalized.
A 1-minute, 48-second CCTV clip of the incident later spread on social media. The footage shows a woman beating the doctor with a shoe. Chhatra Dal leader Talhajur Rahman, who was present, is alleged to have filmed the incident on his mobile phone and, at one point, to have also attacked the doctor himself.
The complaint states that when his employee, Ishan Ahmed, Ishan’s wife, Tawhia Akhtar, and the doctor’s wife, Sajnin Tasnim Siddiqui, came forward to protect the doctor, they too were beaten and dragged. The doctor also alleges the chamber’s CCTV camera was disconnected during the attack.
The incident also involved an allegation that 320,150 taka was taken from the chamber’s cash box. Dr. Ashiqur Rahman also claims about 180,000 taka in damage was caused by vandalizing various items.
He filed a written complaint at Kotwali Model police station on Saturday, August 22. The complaint names Metropolitan Chhatra Dal joint general secretary Talhajur Rahman, Afrin Rashid Sejuti, a person named Sakib, and four or five other unidentified individuals as accused.
On the motive for the attack, the affected doctor said that alongside the extortion demand, there could also be a personal dispute involved. About a year ago, he said, a dispute arose with Afrin Rashid Sejuti over the stillbirth of a cat’s litter. He also suspects the attack may stem from a mistaken belief that he was behind social media posts written about another doctor.
Police said the matter came to the district police’s attention after a video titled “Vet attacked in Mymensingh after pet cat dies” spread on social media Saturday. A team from Kotwali Model police station then began an investigation. Through video review, IT assistance and local inquiries, police tried to identify those involved in the attack. This led to the identification of Afrin Rashid Sejuti, who was arrested from the Akua area on Sunday.
Md Abdullah Al-Mamun, additional superintendent of police (administration) for Mymensingh, said: “After the video that spread on social media came to police attention, the incident was investigated seriously. With the help of technology and local inquiries, one person involved in the attack has been identified and arrested. Police operations to identify and arrest the others involved in the incident continue.”
He said: “District police are committed to keeping the law-and-order situation normal and taking action under the law against anyone involved in any form of violence.”
Meanwhile, Gobinda Roy, president of Metropolitan Chhatra Dal, confirmed that Talhajur Rahman was expelled from the organization after the CCTV footage came to light.
Police said legal proceedings against the arrested Afrin Rashid Sejuti are under way. The affected doctor has demanded the swift arrest of the others involved in the attack.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report