Three men accused of stealing cows were allegedly tied up and tortured in a village shalish in Sunamganj’s Dowarabazar Upazila, where lime was poured into their eyes, and one had his right leg broken with an axe.
The incident took place near Paloichhara Jannatul Jannat Jame Mosque in the upazila’s Banglabazar area this morning (10 September), after one of the men was detained with two stolen cows and two others were later detained from their homes based on information he allegedly provided.
Dowarabazar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Tarikul Islam Talukder said police rescued the three men from the locals, gave them first aid, and took them to Sunamganj Sadar Hospital.
The three men are Abu Bakkar, 35, son of Hasan Ali of Baraiuri village; Nizam Uddin, 30, son of late Mofiz Ali of Purba Gilatali village, both in Banglabazar Union; and Sonai Mia, 25, son of late Shergul Mia of Jorakhani village in Chhatak upazila.
Several videos of the incident circulated on social media today. In one 51-second video, the three men are seen lying on the ground with lime smeared on their noses, mouths, and eyes. One of them has a bloodied leg, while several locals and police officers can be seen standing nearby.
According to local sources, two cows belonging to Iqbal Hossain of Bhaktarpur village in Dowarabazar were stolen last night. Sonai Mia was allegedly detained with the cows by locals of Paloichhara early today.
Locals then detained Abu Bakkar and Nizam Uddin from their homes based on information allegedly provided by Sonai.
Later, locals held a shalish (informal arbitration) over the alleged theft. Morshed Alam, Union Parishad member Hanif Ali, Samad Mia, Zakir Hossain and Ratan Mia were among those present, the sources said.
Those present at the shalish said the three men were tied up and subjected to physical abuse as part of the punishment decided at the meeting. They alleged that lime was poured into their eyes, while Abu Bakkar was struck with an axe, breaking his right leg.
The three men were later handed over to police, who rescued them and seized the two cows before sending them to Sunamganj Sadar Hospital for treatment.
Morshed Alam, a local BNP activist who was present at the shalish, said locals had become frustrated with repeated thefts in the area, including cows as well as a mosque microphone and IPS batteries.
He claimed the shalish had decided that suspected thieves should be punished immediately because those handed over to police often secure bail.
“Those involved in the shalish decided that if a thief is caught, appropriate punishment must be given immediately. Even if someone dies from a mass beating, the shalish board will take responsibility for it,” he added.
When contacted, Union Parishad member Hanif Ali said he was at the police station and asked to be called later before ending the call.
The OC said legal action would be taken if any party submits a written complaint.
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