Two boys, accused of stealing a mobile phone, were trussed and mercilessly beaten up at Rajshahi’s Paba Upazila.
The entire episode was filmed on video. The father of one of the boys filed a case of criminal assault against 13 persons, including a soldier and a policeman.
Azizur Rahman, 30, has been arrested in connection with this case on Sunday, said Paba police OC Shairful Islam.This en masse thrashing of two adolescent boys in Rajshahi has triggered a furore, as it comes within three months of courts handing out judgements on the lynching of two teenagers-Rajan of Sylhet and Rakib of Khulna. Zahir Hussain, one of the two boys beaten up, is an eighth grade student of Bagsara High School. He has been admitted to the local Upazila Health Centre. OC Islam said, Emon, the other boy thrashed has been missing. Zahid’s father Imran Ali of Bagsara filed the case, alleging criminal assault on his son on Saturday night.
Azizur was arrested on Sunday after the case was filed.
One of the accused, Nasir Uddin, is a sergeant in the Bangladesh Army and is now posted in Bogra Cantonment. Another accused in the case, Sagor, is a police constable currently posted at RAB headquarters. Sub Inspector Abu Taher, the investigating officer in the case, said both the boys had been vacationing at their home in Paba Upazila’s Choubaria Village. Jahid’s father Imran told bdnews24.com that their neighbour Rakib’s mobile phone went missing on Friday morning and they held teenager Emon responsible for it. “After being tortured by them, Emon said it was Jahid who stole the phone.” Imran said that some men, including, Nasir, Sagar, Palash, Jamal, Razzak and Tuhin whisked away his son from near the airport on Friday noon.
“They tied up my son and beat him up until 10pm. They captured the incident on video and then handed my son over to me,” said the victim’s father. He claimed he was being threatened by the accused since filing the case with police.
