TikTok sensation Arafat Opu, better known as TikToker Opu or Opu Bhai, has been granted bail in a case filed for assaulting, harassing and beating three youths in the Uttara area of Dhaka.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mamunur Rashid granted the bail after a hearing in this regard on Monday.
Opu was arrested by the police on August 3 along with an accomplice named Nazmul Hossain.
On the following day, the police produced Opu (20) and his friend Nazmul (21) before a Dhaka court. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Debdas Chandra Adikari sent them to jail, rejecting a three-day remand plea.
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Opu, Nazmul and some other unidentified youths have been accused of assaulting locals in Uttara on Sunday evening.
Mehedi Hassan Robin, one of the locals, was driving his car with three friends when they came across Opu and his accomplices blocking a road in the sector-8 area. When they asked the TikTokers to let the car pass, Opu and his accomplices physically attacked them, leaving Robin and two others seriously injured.
SM Mahbub Alam, Robin’s father, subsequently filed the case which landed Opu in jail.
Hasibul Haque, a friend of Robin, posted a detailed account of the incident on Facebook, which quickly went viral. According to the post, around 60-70 enraged youths assaulted the locals.
On the heels of the arrest, Opu and three other video makers have been banned from Singapore-based video creation and sharing platform Likee.
According to a statement released on August 4, the video platform decided to ban the youths based on an allegation by Facebook group Cyber 71, who accuse Opu and his accomplices of making dangerous and violent short videos.
Opu, a 20-year-old TikTok and Likee video maker who has a huge fan following, is originally from Sonaimuri, Noakhali. His arrest has sparked mixed reactions from social media users.
Many are arguing that Opu and his accomplices are being disproportionately vilified across the board because of their unique hairstyle, poor background, and “uncultured manners.”
While the news of the arrest has not shocked anyone, a section of netizens is condemning the delight displayed by the general public on social media following Opu’s arrest, asking why such public outrage is selective.
Others have welcomed TikToker Opu’s arrest, saying they fear he is spreading gang culture.