The victim, Wahiduzzaman Shamim (38), was a resident of Subornabad village in Debhata upazila. According to local sources, some audio clips of Shamim recently circulated on social media. Khairul Alam, a local resident, claimed that those conversations contained offensive remarks about Islam, which instantly sparked intense tension in the area.
To handle the situation, police rescued Shamim in a critically injured state from the hands of locals around 4:30 PM last Tuesday and admitted him to the Debhata Upazila Health Complex.
However, the situation took a horrific turn around 8:40 PM. An agitated mob of two to 250 people gathered on the hospital premises, obstructed treatment, and created a ruckus. At one point, they broke the back door of the hospital and entered inside. Completely ignoring the resistance of the on-duty police, Ansar members, and doctors, they forcibly snatched Shamim away, brought him outside, and beat him mercilessly.
Dr. Md. Saiful Islam, a medical officer at the Debhata Upazila Health Complex, stated that when Shamim, who had been subjected to the first round of beating, was brought to the hospital, the doctors had placed him under medical care. But at night, more than a hundred angry people entered the ward and started assaulting him again in front of other patients. After dragging him outside and beating him, his physical condition became extremely critical. Later, when an attempt was made to swiftly transfer him to the Satkhira Medical College Hospital, he died on the way.
While turmoil is raging over the allegation of blasphemy, Shamim's family has claimed a completely different truth. According to family members, Shamim had long been suffering from mental imbalance and was behaving abnormally. Relatives even claimed that he had attempted suicide by drinking poison some time ago and that his mental state was not stable.
Various videos circulating on Facebook centering on the incident have captured the horrific picture of extremism. One video shows a crowd of curious and excited people surrounding a fallen Shamim on the ground, many of whom were recording the incident on their mobile phones. Another video shows a group of people staging a protest march in Debhata upazila headquarters demanding strict punishment for Shamim and subsequently calling for a mob march towards the hospital. Right after this, the barbaric hospital vandalism and snatching incident occurred.
Regarding taking legal action, Debhata Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) H M Shaheen stated that prompt legal action will be taken upon receiving specific complaints regarding the incident.
