The Ministry of Public Administration has withdrawn Trishal Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Arafat Siddiqui and attached him to the ministry following allegations that he slapped and beat a man with a stick during a mobile court operation.
A notification in this regard was issued by the Ministry of Public Administration on Thursday.
The incident took place around 2pm on Wednesday at a sand sale point in the Kulurbari area of Kalirbazar, Kanthal Union, Trishal.
CCTV footage of the event, which has since circulated on social media, shows UNO Arafat Siddiqui arriving at the location accompanied by Ansar and RAB members.
According to the footage, the UNO requested to see lease-related documents. At that point, Sarowar Jahan (alias Bachchu), the manager of the contracting firm, sought to know the identity of those conducting the raid.
After the UNO identified himself, he was seen slapping Sarowar Jahan twice – once with his left hand and once with his right.
The footage further reveals that as a RAB member was leading Sarowar away, the UNO took a stick from the member and struck Sarowar four times. During the incident, the Assistant Commissioner (Land) of Trishal, Md Mahbubur Rahman, was seen attempting to restrain the UNO.
The victim, Sarowar Jahan, is a former vice-president of Mymensingh City Chhatra Dal. Representatives of the leaseholder claimed that after the assault, Sarowar was taken away in a RAB vehicle and later released in the Dhala area.
He was subsequently rescued and admitted to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital.
The sand sale point is operated by a firm named “Srishti Enterprise,” which leased the area for approximately Tk2 crore. Although located in Trishal, the sand mahal is reportedly under the administrative control of Ishwarganj Upazila.
Shamsuzzaman Masud, the owner of Srishti Enterprise, said although they secured the lease five to six months ago, sand transport only became possible 8–10 days ago after a road was constructed.
He added that he attempted to meet with the UNO following the incident but was unable to secure an audience.
