Two individuals have been arrested so far in a case filed over the killing of a fishing cat in Kaliganj, Jhenaidah, authorities confirmed on Sunday.
The arrested individuals are Jahidul Islam, 35, an autorickshaw driver from Khedapara village in Jhenaidah Sadar upazila, and Mosharraf Hossain, 60, an autorickshaw stand operator from Noldanga Bazar in the same upazila.
Police said efforts are underway to arrest other suspects.
The killing of the cat and hanging it afterwards sparked controversy on social media.
Following the incident, Jahangir Alam, the official in charge of the Wildlife Crime Control Unit of Jessore, filed a case at Kaliganj police station.
According to Forest Department officials, the fishing cat was beaten to death on Thursday in Kadipur, located on the Kaliganj-Noldanga road. Jahidul Islam later took the dead animal to the market. After reaching Noldanga Bazar, some people tied the dead animal to a pole in front of a shop, decorated it with a flower garland, placed a cigarette in its mouth, and set a cup of tea in front of it.
They then took pictures and posted a video on social media.
Upon seeing the video, officials from the Forest Department’s Jhenaidah and Jessore offices rushed to the scene for an investigation.
After confirming the details, they first filed a complaint at Kaliganj police station and later registered a case naming two individuals and 10 to 15 unknown persons.
Local residents in Noldanga Bazar claimed that on the day of the incident, the fishing cat was struck by a moving vehicle and killed.
They said one of the drivers brought it to the market as a joke, adding that later, several children, likely with the intent to make the picture go viral, decorated and took pictures of the dead animal.
Noor Islam, the imam of Kadipur Jame Mosque, said he had seen the fishing cat lying on the road after offering the morning prayer. He believed that the cat had been hit by a moving vehicle sometime during the night.
Adnan Mim, the legal secretary of the Wildlife and Snake Rescue Team in Bangladesh, Kaliganj branch, said they are investigating the incident and are unable to confirm the cause of the fishing cat’s death yet.
However, he emphasized that hanging the animal in such a manner was inappropriate.
He also mentioned that they held awareness meetings in the area to ensure that such incidents are prevented in the future.
Regional Forest Conservator Zahid Akon confirmed that after seeing the incident on social media, they sent officials to the scene.
Kaliganj police station Officer-in-Charge Mofazzel Hossain said efforts are underway to arrest the others involved in the incident.
