The 16-year-old boy who rammed into two rickshaws in Gulshan, injuring three and critically injuring a man on Monday, was popular for his wealthy status but too arrogant for his own good.
The boy, whose name is being withheld due to his status as a minor, rammed his SUV into two rickshaws on Monday afternoon in the Gulshan area. As a result, two rickshaw pullers were injured, and one of the passengers, who was critically injured, is still being treated at United Hospital.
In a conversation with the Dhaka Tribune, a long-time acquaintance of the boy said, on condition of anonymity, that he was very arrogant about his father’s wealth.
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“He was known as the “badass” kid in school. Everyone knew him: he was the one with all the Rolexes, the one always driving around,” said the girl who went to school with him and has known him for about five years.
She admitted that the boy was “genuinely nice” but was always mysterious.
“He always kept secrets, and even got other kids in trouble,” she said, adding that although he was “popular” for his affluence, he was not well-liked by most.
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“No one really liked him because of his bragging: he used to brag so much that it used to upset people,” she said.
This was also evident in certain photos shared on social media, where people have commented in the past, expressing their disapproval of some of his lifestyle choices.
A user commented on a photo shared on his Instagram account, expressing disapproval of the 16-year-old’s photo that suggested he was driving under the influence of alcohol. To this, the minor had responded by boasting that he hadn’t been in any accident so it was not the commenter’s concern.
This exchange was in August. Two months on, the 16-year-old’s face has been plastered across social media with pictures from his Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook accounts – these photos reek of the affluent lifestyle the boy led. There are photos of him in front of big cars, with watches – all with explicit boastful captions that validate others’ claims regarding both his wealth and arrogance.
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The boy’s arrogant attitude transcended boundaries of social media and his immediate surroundings.
A teacher, who formerly taught at a school the boy attended, said he had “extreme behavioral issues,” and that his parents seemed nonchalant about it.
He would also allegedly use his father’s position and wealth as means to threaten others.
“He would say things such as: ‘You know my dad, he can beat you up’,” added the girl who went to school with him.
His father is HBM Jahidur Rahman, chairman of INNOTEL, and mother is Shaila Shelly Khan, a director of Premier Bank. He is the nephew of former Awami League (AL) MP HBM Iqbal.
“He put up an attitude and behaved horribly with faculty and peers, and was almost always obsessed with his new shoes, new gadgets,” said the former teacher, on condition of anonymity.
She added that he had been expelled from three schools here – a claim the boy’s friend also confirmed.
Police accused of helping perpetrator
The role of the police has been rather suspicious. It has been reported separately by the Dhaka Tribune that the police has not filed any cases over the incident, saying they were waiting for the victims to lodge a case.
The victims and their families have not shown interest in filing cases. The rickshaw pullers appear content with the compensation received.
“I need money more than justice,” one of the rickshaw pullers have told the Dhaka Tribune journalist in a separate report.
The boy’s family is said to have compensated the victims including two rickshaw pullers, and an employee at Telenor Group.
Many speculate that the boy has already left the country, but his brother Shoave Rahman has told the Dhaka Tribune that the he is still here.
It appears that the minor’s connection to the Awami League politician has helped him walk free despite a number of things he could be charged for. He was driving illegally, given he is not yet of legal age to drive, and was in possession of alcohol.
Uproar on social media
Social media had a crucial role in both spreading the news as well as expressing the rage of the middle class at what many are claiming to be a “rich children’s” problem.
In fact, this is not the first time such an incident has occurred as a result of teenagers racing on Dhaka streets. For years, racing has been a mark of affluence in Dhaka, especially in the Gulshan area, where youths often race on the avenues.
The difference, this time, was social media. As soon as the accident took place, posts went viral on Facebook – on personal walls as well as traffic alert groups, and the story soon spread.
In some ways, it helped put pressure on the police to take actions. Although the Gulshan police said the boy had been taken to the police station first and handed over to his father, photos have gone viral on social media showing the boy being taken away by the police on a bike, presumably away from the scene.
Social media users also reacted following other photos leaked from the minor’s social media accounts, where, according to his friend, he was very active.
So much so that just a couple of hours before the accident, he posted a photo on social media site Snapchat, showing a bottle of whiskey next to the steering wheel, with the caption "My life > your life" (presumably meaning "my life is greater/better than your life").
This infuriated social media users who, in the coming days, took to Facebook, Instagram with hashtags #ClassyKidsOfDhaka and #RichKidsOfDhaka, as a mockery of the boy’s earlier posts which had similar hashtags.
They also used the caption "My life > your life" to post photos of their own lifestyle practices – ranging from using public buses to drinking chaa-and-biscuit, the more realistic essence of Dhaka.
Whether or not the boy is charged for the incident, this issue will definitely be one that many will remember – especially with the large number of photos and screenshots from the boy’s social media accounts, which many are using to publicly shame him on social media. There are posts going viral on popular blog Moja Losss?, each day revealing more and more insight into his lifestyle, although these posts have not been verified independently.
Whether he leaves the country in a few days, or never gets charged, this reaction on social media and the public shaming in the aftermath, may be a sign of hope that the racing on commuters’ streets will slow down – even if it’s temporarily.
