A bus owner named Qurban Ali has been accused of brutally beating a young man with a hammer after tying him to a tree in the Kaliakoir Bazar bus stand area of Gazipur, on suspicion of stealing a bus.
A video of the assault, which surfaced on social media on Thursday, has triggered widespread public criticism. Qurban Ali, a bus owner originally from Dinajpur who resides in the Chapair area of Kaliakoir and owns three 'Rajdhani Paribahan' buses operating between Kaliakoir and Mirpur, Dhaka.
An unidentified young man. Qurban Ali accused the young man of stealing one of his buses. Three months prior, the young man, who had been driving one of Qurban Ali's buses for a few days, reportedly abandoned it in an alley in Dhaka's Mirpur area and disappeared. The bus was later recovered by Qurban Ali with police help.
According to eyewitnesses and local sources, Qurban Ali apprehended the young man on Wednesday afternoon at the Kaliakoir bus stand area. He then tied the young man's hands to a coconut tree and proceeded to beat him using various methods.
At one point, Qurban Ali allegedly struck the young man's hands and feet with a hammer. The victim was heard shouting and pleading, stating, "I have not done anything. Don't hurt me, I have a family."
Many people witnessed the beating and recorded it on video but reportedly did not intervene. The video went viral on Facebook on Thursday morning, leading to intense public criticism.
The bus owner admitted to confronting the young man for stealing his bus. However, when asked about the hammer beating, he denied the action, claiming he only "threatened with being beaten with a hammer."
Kaliyakoir Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Khandaker Nasir Uddin confirmed the police had heard about the incident. However, he noted that no one has officially filed a complaint yet. OC Uddin stated that the police will locate the victim and "legal action will be taken."
Comment
