A 26-year-old man was beaten to death in Khulna after being suspected of attempting to abduct a child, in an incident that has raised fresh concerns over mob violence and the dangers of acting on unverified allegations.
The victim, identified as Raju Shikdar, was attacked by a group of local people in the Rayermohol area of Khulna city on Tuesday afternoon. Police later rescued him in a critically injured condition and took him to Khulna Medical College Hospital, where he died while receiving treatment at around 6.30pm.
Raju was a resident of Baliadanga in Phultala upazila of Khulna. His father said Raju worked at a clothing shop in Phultala and had gone out for a visit on Tuesday, which was his day off. The family later learnt that he had been assaulted in Rayermohol and killed.
According to police and local sources, the incident occurred at around 5.30pm near the Big Mosque at Rayermohol Market, within the jurisdiction of Aranghata police station. Raju was reportedly walking with a child when several people in the area became suspicious.
A group of locals stopped him and began questioning him. Police said the people present were not satisfied with the answers he gave regarding the child. He was then allegedly assaulted on suspicion of being a child abductor.
As more people gathered at the scene, the assault reportedly continued. Raju sustained serious injuries and collapsed. At one stage, a call was made to the national emergency service, prompting police to reach the location and take him to hospital.
Despite receiving treatment, his condition deteriorated and he died later that evening. Police recovered the body and sent it to the morgue as part of the procedure following the death.
Humayun Kabir, assistant police commissioner of the Sonadanga Zone of Khulna Metropolitan Police, said investigators had not yet established whether the child accompanying Raju was known to him.
He said many people left the scene after the incident. Police have launched an investigation to establish what happened, why Raju was suspected and how the assault escalated. Those found responsible will face legal action, he added.
Halimaur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Aranghata police station, said locals had alleged that Raju was taking a four-year-old child away. They stopped him and questioned him, but were dissatisfied with his response before allegedly beating him.
Police have taken two people into custody in connection with the assault. Investigators are also examining the circumstances surrounding the gathering and the subsequent attack to determine the involvement of others.
The incident highlights the potentially fatal consequences of acting on suspicion without verification. Allegations of child abduction are serious, but determining whether a crime has occurred is the responsibility of law-enforcement authorities, not members of the public. Any suspicion involving a child should be reported to police rather than followed by confrontation or physical assault.
Raju’s father said the family intends to file a case over his son’s death. The police investigation is continuing, with the circumstances surrounding the child, the initial allegation and the identities of those involved in the beating yet to be fully established.
