A 22-year-old man died after being beaten by fuel station workers in Jhinaidah while trying to buy petrol for his motorcycle. Police have arrested three employees over the incident.
The victim, Nirab Ahmed, was linked to the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. The attack occurred around 8.45pm on Saturday at Taj Filling Station, near the central bus terminal on the Jhinaidah–Dhaka highway, amid a reported ‘artificial shortage’ of fuel created by station owners.
Nirab was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Police said the arrested employees are Nasim Hossain from Barikhali, Ramizul Islam from Aruakandi, and Md Dawood Hossain from South Kastsagra. All three worked at Taj Filling Station.
Local sources said Nirab had gone to the pump with two friends. Initially, staff claimed there was no fuel. When Nirab saw them filling bottles shortly after, he returned to question the staff. A dispute broke out, and the workers surrounded him, attacking him with bamboo sticks. His friends rushed him to the hospital.
Sabyasachi Pal Suman, doctor of Jhinaidah 250-bed General Hospital said, “The patient arrived in critical condition with severe injuries to the back and head. He initially had a faint pulse but died shortly after arrival. Excessive bleeding is believed to have caused his death.”
Confirming Nirab’s affiliation, Saidur Rahman, coordinator of the Jhinaidah Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said, “Nirab was active at the forefront of our movement. He lived in a mess in Bakultola, Adarsha Para, Jhinaidah town, and originally hailed from Badurgacha village, Barobazar, Kaliganj.”
Jhinaidah Additional Superintendent of Police Mahfuz Hossain said, “I visited the filling station. The three employees are in custody and being interrogated.”
Earlier on Saturday, around 28 of the district’s 33 filling stations had stopped fuel sales. Only two stations near the town were selling limited petrol.
This shocking incident has raised concerns over growing unrest amid the ongoing fuel shortage in the region.
