Police have detained a man in connection with the assault of two female passengers and the vandalism of a picnic launch in Munshiganj.
The detainee has been identified as Nehal Ahmed Jihad.
The incident took place around 9pm on Friday, and Jihad was detained around 2pm the following day.
Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime and Operations) Md Feroz Kabir confirmed the matter.
He said legal action will be taken against all those involved following an investigation.
According to police sources, a group of passengers hired a launch from South Keraniganj in Dhaka to travel to Mohonpur in Chandpur. On the return journey, they made a stop at the Munshiganj launch terminal to shop. There, a verbal altercation broke out between the launch passengers and some local students and residents.
At one point, the locals, alleging immoral behaviour, vandalised the vessel. During the incident, Nehal Ahmed Jihad reportedly took two young women to the launch’s deck and beat them with a belt. A video of the incident later went viral on Facebook.
Another viral video showed several young men assaulting another woman on the second floor of the launch. However, their identities remain unknown.
Law enforcement agencies later arrived and brought the situation under control. The vessel, named MV Captain, eventually departed for Dhaka from Munshiganj.
Munshiganj Sadar police station Officer-in-Charge Saiful Alam said that a case is being processed against Jihad and others involved. Drives are underway to arrest the remaining suspects.
Speaking to local journalists, accused Jihad said: “I only acted to help. Some people were looting the launch, so I went there with my friends. We removed the ones we knew from the vessel. The crowd was enraged at the two girls. They asked us to ‘save’ them. As an elder brother, I scolded them. I respect the law. To manage the situation, I gave them a couple of lashes.”
