Police in Sunamganj’s Tahirpur upazila have remanded a former police constable in custody after a controversial social media post sparked local unrest. The suspect, a 40-year-old resident of a village under the Badaghat Union, was formally arrested and sent to prison on Tuesday following an official police investigation.
The incident originated on Sunday when a provocative post containing allegedly blasphemous content circulated on Facebook, triggering widespread outrage across the region. As tensions mounted within the village on Monday afternoon, law enforcement personnel deployed swiftly to diffuse the situation and took the suspect into custody for his own protection and further questioning.
However, the extraction was met with immediate resistance. As officers escorted the man onto a transport boat to leave the village, a group of local youths gathered along the riverbank, hurling stones at the vessel in an attempt to snatch the suspect from police custody. Officers managed to navigate the boat to safety, securing the individual at the Tahirpur Police Station. Later that evening, police filed a formal case against him, leading to his court appearance and subsequent committal to prison.
Intriguingly, the detained individual maintains that he is the victim of an identity theft plot. Prior to his arrest, he had lodged a General Diary (GD) with the local police, explicitly stating that an anonymous entity had created a fraudulent Facebook profile using photographs of him and his family members. According to the GD, the fake account was deliberately used to broadcast communally sensitive statements aimed at framing him and inciting local violence.
The Officer-in-Charge of Tahirpur Police Station, Mohammad Faruk Ahmad, confirmed the arrest and provided key details regarding the suspect’s background. The man had previously served as a constable within the Sylhet Metropolitan Police (SMP). However, his service was terminated some time ago due to prolonged, unauthorized absence from his official duties.
In the wake of the confrontation, community leaders moved quickly to calm local tempers. Joint conveners of the Tahirpur Upazila Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), including Md Junab Ali and Mehdi Hasan, convened meetings with village elders and residents, urging restraint and advocating for reliance on legal process rather than mob action. Police patrols in the area have been reinforced to preserve harmony and prevent further escalation.
