An undergraduate student was abducted, physically assaulted, and subjected to extortion in Narayanganj’s Araihazar upazila on Sunday after sharing a Facebook post critical of frequent power cuts. The incident, which unfolded inside a club building located right beside the local police station, has sparked sharp outrage, with allegations levelled directly against leaders and activists of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The victim has been identified as 22-year-old Arafat Hossain, a second-year degree student at Government Safar Ali College and the son of Benu Fakir from Karaitala village in Bishnandi Union. According to Araihazar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Sabzel Hossain and family members, the assault took place around midday on Sunday in the Araihazar Bazar area.
Reconstructing the sequence of events, Arafat’s uncle, Daiyan Fakir—who serves as the vice-president of the Bishnandi Union unit of the Sramik Dal—explained that his nephew had parked his motorcycle inside the Araihazar Police Station premises while attending a nearby gymnasium. Upon stepping out with his vehicle, Arafat was forcibly intercepted by a group of youths led by Ataur Rahman Sunny, the former senior joint convener of the Araihazar Pourashava JCD. The assailants dragged the student into the nearby “Nazrul Islam Azad Welfare Council” club, where he was held captive and beaten continuously.
During the illegal detention, the attackers reportedly extorted 20,000 taka from the victim’s family through the mobile financial service bKash in two separate transactions before releasing him at approximately 3:30 pm. Furthermore, Arafat’s family alleged that the captors coerced the victim into making a false video confession under duress, forcing him to claim he was affiliated with the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and worked for a former local Member of Parliament.
“My nephew simply shared a post regarding load-shedding,” stated Daiyan Fakir, defending the family’s political background. “I actively participate in the Sramik Dal, and Arafat’s father is a BNP supporter. They beat him viciously, labelled him a Chhatra League member, and recorded a forced video statement. We had to pay 20,000 taka via bKash to secure his release.”
Following his release, Arafat received medical treatment at the Araihazar Upazila Health Complex for injuries sustained during the beating. His family subsequently visited the police station to report the crime verbally. However, Daiyan Fakir later disclosed over the telephone that various individuals acting on behalf of the accused JCD leader have begun threatening the family with dire consequences for approaching law enforcement.
Attempts to reach accused JCD leader Ataur Rahman Sunny for comment were unsuccessful as his mobile phone remained switched off. Meanwhile, Mobarak Hossain, former member secretary of Araihazar Upazila JCD, confirmed receiving news of the assault while away from the area. He stated that the administration must take strict legal action against anyone involved in criminal activities regardless of political affiliation, adding that organizational measures would follow an internal investigation. However, Mobarak also alleged that Arafat had previously shared posts and videos on Facebook targeting the BNP government and the Prime Minister over various issues, including power outages.
OC Sabzel Hossain confirmed that a police team dispatched to the scene verified that the youth had been detained and beaten inside the club building. While police are still verifying the extortion claims, the officer assured that formal legal proceedings will be launched as soon as the victim’s family lodges a written complaint.
