Youth detained in incident of beating on footpath of Dhaka, ASI withdrawn

Police has detained a youth named Khalid Hasan, 35, in the incident of beating a person and making him sit and stand by holding the ear on the footpath in Dhanmondi of the capital. Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of Dhanmondi police station Abdul Hai who was present at the place of the incident has been withdrawn from the workplace on the allegation of negligence in duty in the same incident.

Khalid was detained from Meena Bazar area of Dhanmondi around 11:45am on Wednesday. Later he was produced before the Special Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Ramna Zone of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). Officer-in-charge (OC) of Dhanmondi police station Muhammad Imdadul Islam Toyab informed these information in the afternoon on Wednesday.

Police informed that a person named Shahid Abdullah Al Masud alias Masud Rana, 48, was beaten opposite Bangladesh Eye Hospital on Satmasjid Road of Dhanmondi in the afternoon on Monday last. Khalid works as a graphics designer at a private institution. Police has informed that the victim of the beating Abdullah is suffering from mental illness.

The OC said two police members including ASI Abdul Hai were present near the place of the incident at the time of the beating. But they did not take any measure. Due to this reason Abdul Hai has been withdrawn on the allegation of negligence in duty. The other two police members present there are members of Public Order Management. The OC informed that he does not know anything about them.

Earlier the allegation of outraging the modesty of a 23-year-old young woman was raised against Abdullah in the afternoon on Monday. In the aftermath of this incident Khalid made him sit and stand by holding the ear along with giving him slaps-blows and kicks. Extensive discussion-criticism started after a video of the incident spread on social media.

In the video of two minutes 12 seconds it is seen that a youth is giving blows and kicks to that person while abusing him. At this time a crowd of pedestrians gathered on the footpath. Someone was watching the incident and someone was again recording the video on the mobile phone.

In the video several pedestrians are heard saying that that person has touched the body of a woman. At one stage a pedestrian showed the police members present at the place of the incident and asked to hand over the person who was the victim of the beating to them. However although the police members are seen watching the incident in the video they are not seen intervening immediately.

According to the version of the police the allegation of giving a ‘bad touch’ to a woman was raised against Abdullah. Later he called a relative on the mobile phone. The allegation has been found that that relative came and beat him.