Five individuals have been admitted to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) after they sustained critical injuries during a beating at the residence of Awami League leader and former minister AKM Mozammel Haque in Gazipur.
Three of them have injuries in the head while the two others in the hand and other body parts. They – Yakub, 24; Sourav, 22; Kashem, 17; Shuvo Shahria, 16; and Hasan, 22 – were taken to the Dhaka hospital around 1:30 am on Saturday.
Md Faruk, an inspector of the police’s DMCH outpost, confirmed their admission to the hospital.
Md Nasir, a brother of Yakub, said his brother along with the others were trapped in the Awami League leader’s residence and beaten up mercilessly with sharp weapons around 8:30 pm on Friday. Yakub was hit in his head.
According to the police, a group of aggrieved people attacked the Awmi League leader’s residence at Dakshinkhan of Dheerasram in Gazipur and carried out vandalism there. At one point, an announcement was made through the nearby mosque’s megaphone that the former minister’s home was being robbed.
In response, the locals came forward and surrounded the residence, with the vandals trapped inside. Later, some of the vandals were beaten up there.
Over the incident, Md Abdullah, a leader of the anti-discrimination student movement in Gazipur, said some 15-16 students went to the former minister’s residence on information that it was being ransacked. When they attempted to prevent the looting, a large crowd rounded them up and beat them mercilessly with sharp weapons, after taking them to the roof.
When some other students went there, they also received the same treatment, he added.