Two beaten to death by mob in Rangpur

RANGPUR, Oct 25: Two men were beaten to death by a mob over allegations of attempted auto-rickshaw theft in Gangachara Upazila of Rangpur on Sunday, raising concerns among local civil society representatives about the use of mosque loudspeakers to mobilise people against alleged suspects.

The incident occurred near a canal in Uttar Panapukur area of Bagpur Bagerhat Village at  Barabil Union in the early hours. 

The deceased were identified as Rezaul, also known as Kana, 45, of Kachua Bagdogra, and Sadikul Islam, 40, son of Ayub Ali of Dakshin Kolkond.

According to locals, two men allegedly attempted to steal an auto-rickshaw but abandoned it and tried to flee after being chased. They were subsequently caught by a mob and beaten to death.

Auto-rickshaw owner Siddiqur Rahman Sohel said he had parked the vehicle after bringing home two sacks of cement the previous night. At around 4:am, he woke up and saw the vehicle being charged before going back to sleep.

He said the alleged thieves cut the lock on the room where the auto-rickshaw was kept and attempted to take the vehicle away.

“I jumped out of bed and ran through the veranda, grabbing the auto-rickshaw from behind. They tried to pull it away with me still holding on. Eventually, I let go and started shouting for help,” Sohel said.
He added that residents of a nearby mosque came out and found him lying on the ground with injuries to his knee.

An announcement was then made over the mosque loudspeaker, saying that thieves were fleeing north with an auto-rickshaw and urging residents to catch them. Sohel later learned that two men had been beaten to death near a canal about a kilometre from his house.

Khondaker Fakhrul Anam Benju, president of the Rangpur district unit of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SUJON), condemned the incident.

“If someone commits theft, there is a legal process to bring them to justice. The law must take its course. A mosque must never become a platform for creating a mob,” he said, urging the local authorities and mosque committee to investigate the incident.