Police arrested a young man named Nehal Ahmed Jihad in connection with the public beating of two young women aboard a launch that had stopped at Munshiganj terminal. Munshiganj Sadar police detained him on Saturday afternoon.
Nehal Ahmed is a resident of South Islampur area in Munshiganj Sadar upazila. Police stated that the two victims, aged around 19-20, were aboard the launch named MV Captain.
A video went viral on Facebook showing a young man beating the two women with a belt on the launch while onlookers recorded the scene on their phones, cheering and chanting slogans. Based on this, the police had summoned Jihad to the police station.
According to officer-in-charge of Munshiganj Sadar Police Station Saiful Alam, a group of passengers had travelled by launch for picnic from South Keraniganj, Dhaka, to Mohanpur, Chandpur. During their return trip, the launch stopped at Munshiganj terminal where an altercation reportedly broke out among passengers regarding the collection of picnic funds.
At around 8pm, locals vandalised the launch, accusing the passengers of immoral behaviour.
While talking to journalists, Jihad claimed that the locals were infuriated by the women’s clothing and behaviour. “They tried to attack them. The victims pleaded with me to rescue them from the situation. I did this for their own good. Some people were looting on the launch, so I went there with my friends. When we arrived, I helped evacuate the people I knew. The crowd had become aggressive toward the two girls. At that moment, they asked us to ‘save’ them. As a brother, I intervened by striking them a few times. I respect the law, and to control the situation, I hit them two or three times as a brother.”
OC Saiful Alam said no formal complaint has been filed yet. One victim was asked to take legal action but reportedly refused to come forward, and her phone remains switched off.
Police said that a case is being filed against Jihad and others allegedly involved, with efforts to identify and arrest additional suspects.