KHULNA, Sept 5: An agitated mob has entered the office of the Khulna deputy police commissioner and beaten a youth who was accused of insulting Prophet Muhammad (SM) in a Facebook post.
The incident occurred around 11:45pm on Wednesday night in the Sonadanga residential area in the city, said Tajul Islam, deputy police commissioner (south).
The youth involved in the incident, Uthshob Mandul, is a student in eleventh grade at a local college.
Rumours that the youth had died in the beating have spread, but law enforcers have not been able to confirm the claim.
Police and locals say a group of students took Uthshob to the deputy police commissioner's office around 7:45am, claiming he had insulted Prophet Muhammad (SM) in a Facebook post.
When news of the incident spread, hundreds of people gathered outside the building and demanded that Uthshob be turned over to them.
Army and Navy personnel went to the scene to try and calm the situation, but around 11:45pm, the crowd broke into the office and beat Uthshob.
An announcement over the speakers of the local mosque told the gathered crowd that the youth had been killed and urged them to return home. When news of the alleged death spread, the protesters dispersed.
Uthshob's classmates said that his account may have been hacked and have called for an investigation into the incident.
Deputy Police Commissioner Tajul said: "The law enforcers assured the protesters that a case would be filed against the detained Uthshob Mondul and that he would be brought to justice through the courts. But the situation did not calm. They beat Uthshob and critically injured him."
