A 40-year-old man, who had been experiencing mental health issues, was beaten to death by a mob in Satkhira after a person brought allegations of religious defamation against him on Facebook Live and rallied a crowd.
The perpetrator who led the attack proudly claimed that the “Tauhidi Janata” gave him a mob beating and “sent him away from the world.”
The deceased was identified as Wahiduzzaman Shamim, whose family reported that he had recently been experiencing mental health issues.
Shamim was subjected to mob beatings in two separate phases, with the second attack occurring while he was admitted to a government hospital.
The initial attack took place on Tuesday evening in the Kulia area of Devhata upazila in Satkhira, and he passed away at Satkhira Medical College Hospital at midnight.
According to local residents, a man named Fazlul Huq Amini went on Facebook Live, accusing Shamim of uttering derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad (SM) and calling on people to gather.
Amini and a group of people subsequently assembled in front of the chamber of Sabur, a village doctor in Kulia area, where Shamim was receiving medical care. The agitated crowd dragged Shamim out of the chamber and subjected him to a first round of mob beating.
Speaking about the incident, Amini said, “Whenever neighbours or anyone talked to him, he would speak anti-Islamic words. Today, the Tauhidi Janata gave him a mob beating and sent him away from the world.”
Beaten again at hospital
Providing details about the deceased, Sagar Hossain, younger brother of the victim, said Shamim had studied at a madrasa, passed Kamil, and later earned his Honours and Master’s degrees from Jagannath University.
Shamim, a father of two children, had been experiencing mental health issues recently due to family problems.
Two days prior to the incident, Shamim had a quarrel with his wife, during which someone nearby recorded what he said to his wife and circulated the audio, infuriating local people.
Following the dispute with his wife, Shamim attempted suicide by drinking poison and was consequently undergoing treatment at the chamber of Sabur, a village doctor in Kulia.
Expressing his anguish, his brother Sagar said, “He sometimes exhibited abnormal behaviour and was taking medication. If he had said anything, shouldn’t he have been tried through the law? How could they beat a human being to death like this?”
Sagar expressed deep regret that despite being nearby during the incident, family members could not go to rescue Shamim out of fear, adding, “If we had gone, they would have beaten us too”.
HM Shahin, officer-in-charge of Devhata Police Station, said police received a call via the 999 emergency helpline, rescued Shamim before evening, and admitted him to the hospital.
However, at around 9pm, a crowd of several hundred people brought out a procession, marched to the hospital, and beat him again. “When we reached the spot, the protesters had already left the scene,” Shahin said.
