UP chairman beats woman with shoe at arbitration, video goes viral

Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Md Farid Uddin has publicly beaten a woman with a shoe during a village arbitration in Brahmanpara upazila of Cumilla. The incident took place in a village of the upazila. An 11-second video of the incident has spread on social media on Monday afternoon.

After the video circulated, discussions and criticism began over the incident on Tuesday night. People from various walks of life in the locality have demanded an investigation into the matter and legal action against those responsible.

Local residents said the victim woman’s husband lives abroad. An arbitration was arranged over allegations of her romantic involvement with a young man. Punitive decisions were taken against the woman and the young man at the arbitration. Although the video of the woman being beaten with a shoe has spread, no video of any punishment being meted out to the young man has come to light.

In the video circulating on social media, UP Chairman Farid Uddin is seen sitting on a chair in the presence of more than a hundred people. The victim woman is called and made to sit in front of him. At one point, the chairman beats the woman with his shoe. He is seen striking her three times while she is seated on the chair and three more times after she stands up. Although many men and women were standing nearby at the time, no one is seen protesting.

Attempts were made several times on Tuesday and Wednesday morning to speak to the victim woman, but she refused to make any comment.

Several calls were made to UP Chairman Md Farid Uddin’s mobile phone regarding the allegation, but he did not answer. However, he spoke to local journalists about the incident on Tuesday night.

The chairman said, “While living in the household of her expatriate husband, that woman got involved in an extramarital affair. People caught them red-handed. I arrived there and calmed the situation. I merely implemented the verdict of the social trial. Had I not done so, the agitated people of the area would have created a major disturbance.” He also speculated that someone might have deliberately spread the video.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Brahmanpara police station Md Faruk Hossain said legal action would be taken if a complaint is received from the victim woman. He said he informed the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) as soon as he learned of the incident. The UNO is looking into the matter.

Brahmanpara UNO Munni Islam said every Union Parishad now has a village court. There are specific provisions on what types of complaints can be accepted there and how they are to be disposed of. No one can stage such an incident in the name of justice outside these provisions. Detailed steps will be taken on the matter after the investigation is completed.

Women’s leader and human rights activist of Cumilla Dilnashi Mohsen expressed strong condemnation and anger over the incident. She said, “First of all, the chairman should know the extent of his jurisdiction. Can he adjudicate such an incident? And even if the incident is true, can he beat a woman publicly with a shoe in this manner—that is the question.”

She said, “If someone is an offender, they should have been handed over to the law. Such an act by a public representative is condemnable.” She demanded a proper investigation into the incident and justice for the UP chairman.