Man arrested in Satkhira religious defamation death
Collected Photo
Police arrested Md Fazlul Huq Amini, the main accused in a case filed over the beating death of a man named Wahiduzzaman Shamim, 38 following allegations of religious defamation in Debhata, Satkhira.
He was arrested at Faridpur village in Kaliganj, Satkhira at 10:50 pm on Saturday night. Satkhira District Police and the SRB jointly conducted an operation to arrest Amini. With his arrest, the total number of arrests in this case stands at three.
Satkhira Superintendent of Police (SP) Abu Saleh Md Ashraful Alam confirmed the information and said an audio recording of a conversation between Shamim and his wife spread on the social media platform Facebook on 12 October. Following allegations of religious defamation, an attempt was made to attack Shamim’s house. Shamim was first beaten at a local market that day.
On 13 October, he was receiving medical treatment at the chamber of a local village doctor. At that time, a group of people dragged Shamim out of the chamber and beat him again. Later, police rescued him and admitted him to the Upazila Health Complex.
Later at night, a procession led by Amini launched an attack on the hospital. Snatching Shamim away from there, they beat him again. Shamim later died on the way to Satkhira Medical College Hospital.
Over this incident, Shamim’s elder brother Abdul Jalil filed a murder case at Debhata Police Station on 15 October. The case named 10 individuals, including Amini, and listed another 200-250 unidentified people as accused.
Following the filing of the case, police conducted an operation early Friday morning and arrested Mokhtar Hossain Khan, 53 and Asadul Islam Molla, 46. Later, they were sent to prison through the court.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) demanded that alongside those involved in Shamim’s murder, those inciting on social media also be brought to justice. At the same time, the organization called for an investigation into the failure to ensure Shamim’s security while undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Debhata Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) HM Shaheen said legal proceedings are underway and operations are also continuing to arrest the other accused in the case.
