A 20-second video has gone viral on social media which shows a young man tied to a post and beaten to death as young men assault him while singing.
Though the incident occurred in mid-August, the video spread massively on social media on Saturday, while the police confirmed on Sunday that the killing had taken place in Panchlaish, Chittagong.
In the video, several individuals are seen assaulting the man while singing a local Chittagong song, "Madhu Hoi Hoi Anre Bish Khawaila." Others can be seen playing whistles and cheering.
The deceased was Md Shahadat Hossain, 24. The incident happened under the Chowdhury Akhtaruzzaman Flyover in Chittagong city.
Hailing from Sonaimuri, Noakhali, Shahadat lived in the BRTC area under Kotwali thana in Chittagong and worked at a fruit shop in the city.
Police recovered his body on the night of August 14.
The following day, his uncle Md Harun filed a case with the Panchlaish police station, accusing unknown individuals. The motive for the murder or any conflicts involving the victim was not mentioned in the case.
According to the case documents, Shahadat left his home at around 2pm on August 13 to go to work. Around 7pm, he informed his wife over the phone that he would return home shortly. However, when Shahadat did not return until late that night, his wife, Sharmin, began searching for him. She found that his phone was switched off.
At around 9am on August 14, the complainant saw on Facebook that the dead body of his nephew was lying by the roadside near the Badna Shah Mia (R) shrine, opposite Prabartak Mor.
That same night, Shahadat's body was identified by his wife Sharmin Akhter, and the complainant at Chittagong Medical College Hospital.
Commenting on the case, Chittagong Metropolitan Police Panchlaish Zone's Assistant Commissioner (AC) Md Arif Hossain, said: "On August 14, we recovered the body of a young man named Shahadat. His uncle filed a murder case, accusing unknown individuals. Recently, a video surfaced on Facebook showing Shahadat tied to a steel pole and beaten by a group of youths, while songs were sung in the local language. Later, Shahadat's wife identified him after seeing the video on Facebook."
He added: "This incident is unacceptable and deeply painful. We have identified several individuals from the video and are working to bring all those involved to justice."