A shocking incident of animal cruelty has gone viral on Facebook and other social media platforms after a five-month-old cat was allegedly beaten with a metal rod by a domestic worker in Dhaka’s Bashundhara Residential Area.
The act was reportedly carried out on the instructions of her employers — a corporate couple employed at Grameenphone Ltd and Aristopharma Ltd.
According to Facebook posts by Ilma [not independently verified by Times of Bangladesh], the cat’s caregiver, her younger brother heard the kitten’s cries at around 2:30pm on Saturday. Rushing upstairs, Ilma claims she saw the couple’s house help, Majida, repeatedly striking the defenseless animal while Kazi Hasan Mahamood (a Grameenphone deputy director) and his wife Farhana Khanam (an Aristopharma senior executive) stood watch.
Ilma rescued the bloodied kitten, which is now undergoing emergency veterinary treatment as of the time of filing this report. Ilma also obtained video evidence, CCTV footage, and a confession from Majida, who allegedly stated, “Farhana madam told me to beat the cat.”
Videos surfing the Facebook show that when Ilma confronted the couple, they allegedly turned hostile, hurled abuse, and even threatened legal action against her. The incident has ignited fury online, with activists demanding accountability under Bangladesh’s Animal Welfare Act 2019, though enforcement remains lax.
Grameenphone condemned the act in a statement, affirming it is “reviewing the incident and taking necessary actions.”
Aristopharma has yet to respond.
Animal rights group Obhoyaronno acknowledged Grameenphone’s prompt attention to the matter but noted Aristopharma’s silence, urging stronger corporate responsibility for animal welfare.
Public pressure is also mounting for legal action against the perpetrators as many celebrities have spoken against the incident of animal cruelty.