A group of young men allegedly assaulted and forcibly cut the hair of three women after accusing them of theft in Akhaura upazila of Brahmanbaria, prompting the detention of a man.
Police held Sumon Das, 32, around 3:30pm in the Mosquepara area of the upazila, confirmed Akhaura police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Shamiuddin, reports Bangla Tribune.
Shamiuddin said: “Upon receiving a complaint, we immediately launched an operation to apprehend the suspects... Efforts are ongoing to detain the remaining individuals.”
The incident took place on Sunday night in front of Chandpur Aluminium Store, located under NCC Bank Limited in the Sarak Bazar area of the municipality.
The three women were reportedly beaten and had their hair cut as part of the assault.
A video of the incident was circulated on the social media platform Facebook, sparking widespread outrage among the local community.
The detained individual, Sumon, is the proprietor of M/S SM Electric Corner in Sarak Bazar and a resident of Mosquepara.
According to multiple sources, several others, including Md Rabbi of Lal Baza,r were also involved.
Rabbi is the owner of Ma Telecom in Sarak Bazar.
Police and local sources reported that around 8pm, a theft occurred at Chandpur Aluminium Store.
The store owner allegedly detained the three women on suspicion of theft and claimed to have recovered stolen items from them.
Subsequently, Sumon, Rabbi and other local youths assaulted the women with plastic pipes and iron rods.
During the attack, Sumon and Rabbi forcibly removed the women’s head coverings.
At one point, Sumon cut their hair.
A child accompanying the women reportedly screamed in fear during the ordeal.
The video footage of the assault, which spread online the same night, triggered public anger throughout Akhaura.
On Monday morning, locals filed a complaint at Akhaura police station.
Some individuals were reportedly attempting to provoke further unrest over the incident.
In the afternoon, a protest march was held demanding the arrest of all involved.
The police urged the public to maintain communal harmony and assured them that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
OC Shamiuddin further said: “Names of other individuals, including Rabbi, have been identified. We are working to apprehend them. However, no formal case has been filed as of yet. Legal action will be taken once the victims initiate proceedings.”
