Bangladesh off-spinner Nayeem Hasan returned to his hometown of Chattogram on Friday after completing a Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League match at BKSP in Savar. What should have been a routine journey home turned into a night of alleged brutality, unlawful detention and public outrage.
Nayeem has accused members of the police of assaulting him with batons and a metal pipe after stopping the CNG auto-rickshaw he was travelling in near Lalkhan Bazar on his way to his family home in Faridapara, Bahaddarhat.
At the centre of the controversy lies an unverified WhatsApp message alleging gold smuggling, a message that appears to have triggered a chain of events culminating in the alleged assault of a national cricketer.
According to information obtained by TIMES of Bangladesh from a source within the Chattogram Metropolitan Police, suspended Sub-Inspector Shafiqul Islam received a WhatsApp message at approximately 9:30pm on Friday from a DGFI sergeant identified as Kamruzzaman. Acting on that information, Shafiqul allegedly launched an operation without obtaining the necessary authorisation from senior officials. The message identified a specific CNG auto-rickshaw registration number and claimed the vehicle was being used to transport gold from Shah Amanat International Airport. It contained no description of any suspect, no indication of who was allegedly carrying the gold and no evidence that the information had been verified.
After the incident sparked widespread criticism, Shafiqul reportedly forwarded the original tip-off message to a CMP WhatsApp group at 1:28pm on Saturday.
Khulshi Police Station Officer-in-Charge Ariful Islam later provided an explanation. “Based on information received from an agency, the duty officer, SI Shafiqul, brought cricketer Nayeem Hasan to the police station. The information concerned alleged smuggling activities. They took that step without informing me. After he was brought to the station, I recognised him and he was immediately released,” he said.
The incident began around 11:25pm on Friday when Nayeem’s vehicle was stopped near Lalkhan Bazar. According to the spinner, he cooperated fully from the outset and even invited officers to search his belongings.
“I got down and told them to check my bag. But one of the police officers told me, ‘Get into the vehicle, you are an accused person,'” Nayeem told reporters. He alleged that officers physically overpowered him despite repeatedly identifying himself. “One of them grabbed me by the throat and pushed me into the vehicle. When I tried to get out, two of them held me down while another kept hitting me with a pipe.”
Nayeem said he was carrying his cricket equipment and identification documents at the time. “Around 100 people gathered there and told them that I was national cricketer Nayeem Hasan, but they kept beating me. I identified myself, but it did not help,” he said. Two eyewitnesses travelling with him have corroborated his account.
Following the roadside incident, Nayeem was taken to Khulshi Police Station, where he alleged further harassment. “After bringing me to the station, I was harassed again. I was punched, kicked and assaulted. I identified myself as a national cricketer, but they still did not take it seriously,” he said. The situation changed only after influential figures began contacting the officer-in-charge. “When different people started calling the OC’s phone, he said a mistake had been made. After that, I was released.”
After regaining access to his phone, Nayeem contacted BCB president Tamim Iqbal and his father Mahbubul Alam. He was eventually released following the intervention of Tamim, BCB director Israfil Khosru and board director Syed Ibrahim Ahmed.
On Saturday morning, Nayeem’s brother Sabbir Hasan filed a case with Khulshi Police Station accusing three individuals of assault and attempted abduction. The accused are Sub-Inspector Shafiqul Islam, Constable Rashed and a man identified as Sohail, who allegedly presented himself as a Detective Branch operative. The officer-in-charge confirmed that Shafiqul, Constable Russell and another constable had been withdrawn immediately.
The incident has triggered outrage across Bangladesh’s cricket fraternity. The BCB, the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh, current and former cricketers and thousands of fans have demanded accountability. The matter has also reached Home Affairs Adviser Salahuddin Ahmed, who personally contacted Tamim and assured him the matter would be pursued rigorously.
On Saturday afternoon, CMP Commissioner Hasan Mohammad Shawkat Ali visited Nayeem’s residence and announced the formation of a three-member inquiry committee headed by CMP Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Alamgir Hossain.
The emotional toll on Nayeem was evident as he addressed reporters. “It has taken a mental toll on me. I want to spend some time alone,” the 26-year-old said. He also expressed gratitude to the crowd that gathered at the scene. “When the police forced me into the CNG at night, I was very frightened. If the 100 to 120 supporters who gathered there had not been present, things could have turned out very differently.”
Two members of the BCB medical team are travelling from Dhaka to Chattogram to assess Nayeem’s condition ahead of the upcoming Test series.
