Satkhira man beaten to death over alleged religious remarks, family cites mental illness

A 40-year-old man was beaten to death by a mob in Kuliya area of Debhata upazila in Satkhira yesterday (13 October) over allegations that he had made derogatory remarks about Allah, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Islam.

His family said he had been suffering from mental illness.

The deceased, Wahiduzzaman Shamim, was the son of the late Shamsur Rahman and a resident of Boro Shanta village in Debhata.

The first assault took place before dusk yesterday. After receiving information through the national emergency helpline 999, police rescued Shamim and admitted him to Debhata Upazila Health Complex.

At around 9pm, an agitated crowd marched to the hospital and attacked him again. Police rescued him around midnight and took him to Satkhira Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.

Local residents said religious speaker Fazlul Haque Amini of Debhata accused Shamim of hurting religious sentiments during a Facebook Live broadcast and called on people to gather.

Amini and other agitated locals later assembled outside the chamber of village practitioner Sabur in Kuliya, where Shamim was receiving treatment. They allegedly dragged him out and beat him.

Speaking about the incident, Amini said Shamim had been making objectionable remarks about Allah, the Prophet and Islam for around six months.

“Whenever neighbours or others spoke to him, he would make anti-Islamic remarks. Today, the devout Muslim crowd beat him and sent him out of this world,” he said.

However, Shamim’s younger brother, Sagar Hossain, said his brother had been suffering from mental illness following family problems.

“We are five brothers, and Shamim was the fourth. He had completed his Kamil degree from a madrasa and obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Jagannath University. He had two children,” Sagar said.

“He was not well. He suffered from mental instability and sometimes behaved and spoke abnormally. At times, he would be fine, while at other times, his behaviour would change. He was taking medication,” he added.

Sagar said any objectionable remarks by his brother should have been addressed through legal proceedings rather than mob violence.

“If he said something, he should have been tried under the law. How could they beat a person to death like this? We could do nothing. We could not even approach him because we feared they would beat us too,” he said.

He alleged that Shamim had an argument with his wife two days earlier, during which someone nearby recorded their exchange and circulated it, fuelling public anger.

Following the argument, Shamim attempted to take his own life by drinking poison, Sagar said. He was subsequently receiving treatment at Sabur’s chamber when the crowd attacked him.

The family alleged that the attackers later surrounded the hospital and beat Shamim again, leading to his death.

Confirming the incident, the officer-in-charge of Debhata Police Station said police had rescued Shamim and admitted him to the upazila health complex before dusk after receiving a call through 999.

“Later, at around 9pm, hundreds of agitated people marched to the hospital and beat him again. By the time we reached the scene, the protesters had left,” the officer said.

Police later took Shamim to Satkhira Medical College Hospital, where he was declared dead.

The officer said hundreds of people had gathered over allegations that Shamim had hurt religious sentiments, but police had yet to establish the specific nature of the alleged remarks.