Man beaten to death for protesting litchi picking in Faridpur

A 65-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death in Faridpur’s Saltha upazila after protesting the unauthorized picking of litchis from his tree.

The incident took place in the Fulbaria Bazar area under Ballavdi Union around 6:30pm on Wednesday. The deceased, Azizur Rahman Mollah, was a resident of Gupinagar Para in Fulbaria village.

According to local residents and police, the dispute began around 1:00pm when Shakil Munshi and Tushar Munshi — sons of Mosharraf Munshi from Charbangrail village in neighboring Sonapur Union — allegedly picked litchis from Azizur’s tree without permission.

Azizur’s son, Akram Mollah, protested the act, triggering an argument between the two sides. Later in the afternoon, Shakil and his associates allegedly assaulted Akram after finding him alone at Fulbaria Bazar.

At the time, Azizur Rahman was at another part of the market. Hearing that his son was being beaten, he rushed to the scene and asked why his son had been attacked.

Witnesses said an altercation then broke out between Azizur and the accused. At one stage, Shakil, Tushar, and several others allegedly attacked Azizur with bamboo sticks and wooden rods. He collapsed after being struck repeatedly.

Locals rescued him and took him to Faridpur Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead around 7:30pm while he was undergoing treatment.

Meanwhile, a 32-second video of the assault spread on Facebook. The footage reportedly shows a group of youths armed with sticks assaulting Azizur inside Fulbaria Bazar. He was seen falling to the ground twice as the attackers continued beating and dragging him despite bystanders’ attempts to stop them.

The accused fled the area after the incident, making it impossible to obtain their comments.

Confirming the incident, Saltha Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Bablur Rahman Khan said police brought the situation under control after reaching the spot. He said those involved in the killing had been identified and efforts were underway to arrest them.

A murder case is being prepared by the victim’s family, the OC added.