A veterinary practitioner in Mymensingh was subjected to a violent physical assault, his surgery ransacked, and a substantial sum of cash stolen by a group allegedly led by a local student political figure. The victim reported that the coordinated attack occurred after he repeatedly refused to comply with an extortion demand of 500,000 taka. As public indignation mounted following the emergence of video evidence, the affiliated political body expelled the implicated leader.
The victim, Dr Md Ashikur Rahman, operates ‘Doctors Pet Care’, a small veterinary practice and pet supplies centre situated in the lane adjacent to Mymensingh Zilla School. The clinic primarily provides feline medical care alongside accessories and specialised pet food.
The incident gained widespread public attention after a 1-minute-48-second closed-circuit television recording began circulating across social media platforms. In the video, a woman is seen storming into the consultation room, removing her shoe, and striking Dr Rahman around the head and face. Standing alongside her, Talhajur Rahman Pratik, joint general secretary of the Mymensingh Metropolitan Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), is seen recording the assault on his mobile phone before stepping in to land punches and physical blows on the defenceless veterinarian.
Dr Rahman lodged a formal complaint at Mymensingh Kotwali Police Station on Saturday afternoon, naming Talhajur Rahman, Afrin Rashid Senjuti, and Sakib, along with four to five unidentified accomplices.
The written statement details that the group had been pressuring the veterinarian for 500,000 taka over several weeks. On Thursday evening, the gang entered the premises to enforce the payment. When Dr Rahman refused to yield, the assailants disabled the internal security cameras and beat him with iron rods.
When clinic assistant Ishan Ahmed, his wife Tawhia Akter, and the veterinarian’s wife, Sajnain Tasnin Siddiqui, rushed to intervene, they were also attacked and manhandled. The assailants subsequently emptied 320,150 taka from the cash drawer and smashed medical equipment, glass cabinets, and retail stock, causing an estimated 180,000 taka in material losses.
Dr Rahman noted that the extortion attempt was compounded by personal grievances and online disputes. He explained that Senjuti harboured lingering resentment over a medical procedure from a year earlier involving the delivery of a stillborn kitten, while also suspecting him of authoring critical online commentary regarding another local practitioner.
Mymensingh Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration) Abdullah Al Mamun stated that preliminary inquiries point to an escalation stemming from online disputes regarding veterinary care and an animal’s death. He confirmed that police are pursuing formal legal proceedings against the perpetrators.
Following widespread condemnation of the viral footage, the political organisation moved swiftly to sever ties with the accused. Mymensingh Metropolitan Chhatra Dal President Gobinda Roy confirmed that Talhajur Rahman has been permanently expelled from his post and the organisation for his direct role in the violence.
