Youth Jailed After Being Tied to Tree and Shorn by Mob in Gaibandha Theft Attempt
Photo Collected
A young man was tied to a tree and his hair was forcibly shorn by a mob in Gaibandha’s Sadullapur Upazila, following allegations that he attempted to steal batteries from a mosque’s solar power system. The incident, which took place in Kishamat Borobari village under Damodarpur Union on Wednesday night, was captured in a widely circulated five-minute and twenty-nine-second video.
The footage shows the suspect bound to a tree with his hands tied behind his back as a crowd surrounds him. Throughout the video, individuals are seen assaulting the man, denying his requests for water, and ultimately using scissors to crudely cut his hair. Some members of the crowd are heard discouraging police involvement, expressing distrust in the legal process.
According to local residents, the incident began around 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday while renovation work was underway at the Kishamat Borobari West Para Jame Mosque. A local resident noticed torchlight inside the mosque and alerted others, causing two accomplices to flee while the suspect was apprehended. The suspect reportedly admitted that the three men arrived by rickshaw-van with the intent to steal the mosque’s solar batteries.
Former Damodarpur Union Chairman Monowarul Hasan confirmed the incident, stating that he arrived at the scene to find the mob in the process of shaving the suspect’s head. Police were notified shortly thereafter and took the individual into custody late Wednesday night.
Sadullapur Police Station Officer-in-Charge AKM Habibul Islam stated that no formal complaints were filed by the mosque committee or local residents. Consequently, the suspect was remanded to jail by a court on Thursday under Section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The officer claimed he had not seen the video footage of the assault.
Gaibandha Additional Superintendent of Police Sharif Al Rajib condemned the vigilante action, noting that forcibly cutting someone’s hair is a violation of the law. He emphasized that individuals are not permitted to take the law into their own hands and confirmed that an investigation into the extrajudicial punishment will be conducted.
0%
0%
0%
0%
