In worrying signs that mobs in Bangladesh are taking law and order into their hands, two men were thrashed, their heads tonsured, and were made to dance in public for allegedly stealing a duck. A video of the 'mob justice' has circulated on social media and shows the two men surrounded by the mob. One of the men is forced to hold the duck, apparently the one they were accused of stealing. The other has a boombox around his neck that plays music they are forced to dance to.
Bangladesh newspaper Prothom Alo has reported that the incident occurred at Sandwip in Chattogram district. Following the mob assault and the forced public dance, the two men accused of stealing ducks were handed over to the police.
Fasiul Alam, a resident of the area and a member of the local unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, said, "The two young men had been stealing ducks in the area for quite some time. When I found out, I arranged to hand them over to the police." Asked about the public assault, he said, "Those incidents happened before I arrived."
Ziaul Haque, officer-in-charge of Sandwip Police Station, said that they were looking for the two men in multiple theft cases. "After receiving news that locals caught them, we sent a team to the spot. They were then arrested and sent to jail after being produced in court. We were not told about any abuse. The viral video has not come to our attention."
This comes amid multiple incidents of mob violence in Bangladesh in the aftermath of the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure in the uprising in Bangladesh that led to Sheikh Hasina's ouster.
Over the past week, mobs in Bangladesh have targeted the offices of prominent newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, and cultural organisations Chhayanaut and Udichi Shilpi Gosthi. In a heinous crime, a Hindu man was lynched in Mymensingh and his body set on fire in the middle of a highway, over an alleged derogatory remark on Prophet Mohammed. An investigation into the brutal murder has not found evidence of any such remark.
