Teen beaten and hung upside down over alleged theft in Patuakhali

A teenager was tied up, hung upside down, and beaten after being accused of theft in Charboyra village, Dumki upazila, on Saturday evening. The incident took place near the Panchayet Bazar bridge around 6:30pm. A 2-minute 31-second video of the assault circulated widely on social media on Monday, sparking public outrage. The victim has since been taken into police custody.

The teenager, Romjan Mallik, is the son of Bashir Mallik from the neighboring village of Rajakhali. According to locals, he was caught at a grocery shop and subjected to physical abuse over a suspected theft.

Eyewitnesses Iman, Mahfuzur Rahman, and Kamal Sikdar said they saw Romjan tied and hung upside down on a grill while being beaten with rods and sticks by shop owner Jalil Sikdar, his two wives, and Arif and Faisal Sikdar. Police were alerted by locals and rescued the teenager from the scene.

Jalil Sikdar denied torturing Romjan, stating that the teenager was caught red-handed attempting to steal money from his shop.

Romjan’s brother, Sakib Hossain, said his brother suffers from a mental disorder and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice immediately.

Dumki Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Zakir Hossain said the teenager was taken into custody and a theft case filed against him. He added that he was unaware of the allegations of torture.