Police in Magura have arrested Naimuzzaman Nayan, a former general secretary of the Chhatra Dal unit in Magura Sadar upazila, after a video allegedly showing him assaulting a police officer in public went viral on social media.
The incident reportedly stemmed from a dispute over a microbus being unable to pass through a congested area. Nayan, who is also identified as the president of the Magura Microbus Owners’ Association, allegedly slapped police constable Imran Hossain several times at the city’s microbus stand on Friday afternoon.
Imran, who was on duty at the control room of the Magura Superintendent of Police’s office, later filed a case against Nayan and others at Magura Sadar Police Station at around 8pm on Saturday (29 August).
According to information available about the case, four people have been named as accused, including Nayan, while another 10 to 15 unidentified individuals have also been included.
The incident took place at around 5.30pm on Friday (28 August). A 1-minute-23-second video circulating on social media appears to show Nayan approaching Imran, who was seated on his motorcycle, and slapping him twice in front of two police officers. The footage also shows Nayan recording the incident on his own mobile phone.
Before the alleged assault, Nayan reportedly took the key from Imran’s motorcycle and called people from the surrounding microbus stand area to the scene.
Two assistant sub-inspectors from Magura Sadar Police Station, identified as Shariful and Masud, were present at the time. When they identified themselves as police officers and objected to Nayan taking the motorcycle key, an argument reportedly broke out between them and Zakir Hossain, who was accompanying Nayan and is identified as the organisational secretary of Ward 8 of the Magura municipal unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
The situation subsequently escalated, with Nayan allegedly striking Imran twice while the police officer remained seated on his motorcycle.
Police took Nayan to Sadar Police Station later that evening after receiving information about the incident. He was subsequently released after Masud Hasan Khan Kizil, president of the Magura municipal unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and several other political leaders reportedly arrived at the police station, according to information cited in the case.
The matter gained wider attention after the video spread rapidly across social media. Police detained Nayan again on Saturday afternoon and questioned him at the police station before proceeding with the case.
Before his detention, Nayan offered his own account of the incident. He said he had been returning home after completing contractual work when he became stuck in traffic near the city’s Dhaka Road vegetable market. According to his statement, he repeatedly sounded his horn at the police officer in front of him but was unable to get past. An argument followed, and Nayan claimed that the officer used offensive language towards him.
Nayan said he took the motorcycle key and slapped the officer once because of the exchange. His account differs from the video footage described in reports, which shows him striking Imran twice.
The case has now placed the conduct of those involved under police investigation. Officers are also seeking the other accused named in the complaint.
Magura Sadar Police Station officer-in-charge Abdullah Al Mamun confirmed Nayan’s arrest. He said Nayan would be produced before a court on Sunday and that police were conducting operations to arrest the remaining accused.
The incident has drawn attention primarily because the alleged assault occurred in a public place and in the presence of other police officers. The circulation of recorded footage has also brought the dispute into wider public view, while the investigation is expected to establish the circumstances leading to the confrontation and the roles played by those present.
