A 16-year-old boy was reportedly taken away by the Detective Branch (DB) of police during an operation at his family home in Barishal, where officers had gone looking for his father, Enamul Haque Bahar, a former panel mayor of Barishal City Corporation and an Awami League leader.
The incident took place on Monday (21 September) afternoon in Titimur Lane, off Dargabari Road in Ward 23 of Barishal city. A video of the incident later spread widely on social media, prompting widespread discussion and concern among local residents.
The teenager, Baftin Ahmed Jihan, 16, passed his Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination this year from Barishal Zilla School. His mother, Sathi Akter, said police arrived at their home to arrest her husband while he was away at a mosque for Zuhr prayers.
According to Sathi, Bahar is on bail in all the political cases filed against him. She said she informed the police officers of his bail status and told them that the family had documents supporting the claim.
She alleged that the DB officers, unable to find Bahar at the house, then attempted to take her son away. Sathi said she tried to prevent them from taking Jihan and explained that her husband was on bail. Despite this, she claimed, three DB personnel took the teenager with them.
A 1-minute-and-14-second video circulating on social media shows several men in plain clothes pulling Jihan towards a vehicle. His mother can be seen trying to intervene as people gather around the scene amid shouting and commotion. At one point, Sathi appears to fall to the ground during the confrontation. The footage then shows the teenager being taken away in a police pickup.
Sathi said her husband had gone to a mosque to offer the Zuhr prayer when the DB team arrived. She alleged that the officers began taking her son after failing to locate Bahar. She also claimed that she was pushed to the ground when she attempted to stop them.
The incident has attracted attention because the reported target of the police operation was Bahar, while the person taken away from the home was his teenage son. The information available does not clarify whether Jihan was himself the subject of any complaint or investigation, nor does it establish the legal basis on which he was taken away.
Attempts were made to contact Azimul Karim, officer-in-charge of the Barishal Metropolitan DB Police, for comment on the operation and the teenager’s detention. He did not answer his mobile phone, so his response was not available.
Al Mamun Ul Islam, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Model Police Station, said he had heard that DB police had taken a teenager from the Ward 23 area. However, he said the boy had not been handed over to the police station at that time.
The video has since become a focal point of public discussion in Barishal, with questions being raised about the circumstances surrounding the teenager’s removal from the house. The family’s account has been documented, but a detailed explanation from the DB police regarding the operation, the reason for taking Jihan and his subsequent status has not yet been obtained.
As a result, several key aspects of the incident remain unclear, including whether any formal legal action was initiated against the teenager and where he was taken after leaving the family home.
