Police have detained a security guard accused of assaulting a street child in Mirpur 1, Dhaka, after allegedly accusing her of stealing a piece of bread.
The detained man has been identified as Ripon Mondol, who works as a security guard at Mirpur Shah Ali Shopping Complex.
In a Facebook post on Monday afternoon, Mirpur Division Additional Deputy Commissioner Saleh Muhammad Zakaria confirmed the detention.
Posting a photo of Ripon Mondol, Saleh Mohammad Zakaria wrote: “The detained man’s name is Ripon Mondol. The night before last, he brutally assaulted a little girl in Mirpur 1. He is now in police custody. He has been admitted to hospital for treatment.”
He further wrote: “The rule of law must be followed. Police will take immediate action in any incident of brutality. There will be no concessions.”
A video showing the street child being assaulted had circulated on social media since Sunday. UK-based Bangladeshi journalist Zulkarnain Saer posted the video on his Facebook account on Monday afternoon.
Posting the video, he wrote: “A security guard at a market somewhere in the Mirpur area is assaulting a girl child on allegations of stealing and eating a piece of bread. When a passer-by approached to stop the assault, another passer-by came forward to prevent him.”
He said: “Whatever the crime, no one has the right to torture anyone. Handing the accused person over to the police is the legal course of action.”
The 15-second video shows a man wearing a navy blue shirt and black full-length trousers holding one of the child’s hands with one hand and beating her with a belt in the other hand on a road in front of a market.
Vehicles can be seen passing nearby while people standing around watch. At one point, several teenagers approach to protect the child, after which the man pulls her towards the market.
Police said the incident took place on Saturday, October 3, in front of Shah Ali Shopping Complex in Mirpur 1.
Ripon Mondol has been detained and is currently undergoing treatment under police guard at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and Hospital in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka.
Darus Salam police station Officer-in-Charge Dulal Hossain said: “After the video came to our attention, police began looking into the matter. Ripon Mondol was identified and later questioned.”
Ripon Mondol told police officials that the child had stolen a mobile phone from a shop at the market. He claimed he beat her for this reason.
He was admitted to hospital after suffering a heart attack on Sunday afternoon.
OC Dulal Hossain said: “We are verifying whether Ripon Mondol’s statement is true. He is being kept under police guard at the hospital. Legal action will be taken against him once he recovers. Efforts are underway to locate the street child.”