Man assaulted in Dhanmondi: ASI withdrawn over alleged negligence, one detained

Police have detained a 35-year-old man over the public beating of another man on a footpath in the capital’s Dhanmondi area, while an assistant sub-inspector who was present at the scene has been withdrawn from duty over allegations that he failed to take appropriate action.

Khalid Hasan, a graphic designer at a private company, was detained from the Meena Bazar area of Dhanmondi around 11:45am today (14 October).

He was later produced before the Special Metropolitan Magistrate Court under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Ramna zone, Dhanmondi Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Muhammad Imdadul Islam Tayeb said.

Police said the assault took place on 12 October on Satmasjid Road, opposite Bangladesh Eye Hospital. The man who was assaulted was Shahid Abdullah Al Masud, 48, also known as Masud Rana.

OC Tayeb said Shahid Abdullah had a mental illness.

The incident followed an allegation by a 23-year-old woman that Shahid Abdullah had touched her inappropriately. She alleged that police at the scene were reluctant to detain him, so she called a relative, who later assaulted him.

In the 2-minute-and-12-second video that surfaced on social media, a young man is seen shouting abuse at Shahid Abdullah before slapping and kicking him. Abdullah is also seen doing sit-ups while holding his ears.

The video shows a crowd gathering around the men, with some onlookers recording the incident on their mobile phones. Several people were also heard discussing the allegation against Shahid Abdullah, while a passer-by suggested handing him over to the police officers present at the scene. The footage does not show the officers intervening immediately.

However, The Business Standard could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.