Ordeal of chained Babul Boishnab in Habiganj

Babul Boishnab, a resident of Ajmiriganj upazila in Habiganj, has been chained inside an abandoned house for the past three weeks—reportedly by his own wife, son, uncle, and brother. During this time, he has barely received one proper meal a day and has been allowed to bathe only three or four times.

According to both Babul and local villagers, the incident began with a minor quarrel between him and his wife, during which he reportedly slapped her. In retaliation, his wife, along with other family members, beat him and then declared him mentally unstable. They have kept him chained ever since.

Babul, a simple man from Jhilua village, is known for his calm and peaceful nature, according to neighbors. One neighbor, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “As far as I know, Babul has no mental health issues. This is just a result of family disputes. His wife, son, brother, and uncle have tied him up. They barely feed him. His elderly mother tries to give him food now and then, but she gets verbally abused for doing so. I've even heard they sometimes snatch the food from her hands and throw it away. Over the last 21 days, his mother has managed to bathe him three or four times using half a bucket of water each time.”

When visited on-site, Babul said he had worked hard to support his family and raise his children. Before being confined, he used to earn a living doing farm work and selling vegetables and seeds in nearby villages.

However, Babul’s uncle, Rathindra Chowdhury, offered a different version of events. “Babul often assaults family members. He once came at us with a machete. He’s a threat to others, so we had no choice but to keep him chained,” he claimed.

Dilip Kumar Chowdhury, the local Union Parishad member from Badalpur, said, “I wasn’t aware of the situation until now. But since you’ve informed me, I will look into it. From what I know, while his behavior can be a little unusual, I wouldn’t call him mentally ill. And I haven’t heard of him ever behaving badly with anyone.”

This disturbing case of alleged abuse raises serious questions about how domestic conflicts and mental health issues are handled in rural communities—especially when the lines between care and cruelty are so dangerously blurred.