Jamaat Ward Secretary Beaten Over Alleged Affair

A local Jamaat-e-Islami leader was allegedly beaten by residents in Patuakhali’s Bauphal Upazila after being accused of having an extramarital relationship with a neighbouring married woman.

The injured man, Faruk Hossain Paida, is the secretary of the Jamaat’s Ward No. 3 unit in Daspara Union. He is currently receiving treatment at Bauphal Upazila Health Complex following the incident.

The incident reportedly took place at around 9.30pm on Wednesday, 29 July, in Ward No. 3 of Daspara Union.

According to eyewitnesses, several local residents spotted Faruk near the house of a married woman in the neighbourhood that night. They reportedly stopped him and confronted him over allegations of an inappropriate relationship with the woman. He was subsequently assaulted, leaving him injured. Local people later rescued him and took him to the upazila health complex for medical treatment.

The woman’s mother-in-law has levelled serious allegations against Faruk. She claimed that he had allegedly been harassing her daughter-in-law for a considerable period and had made inappropriate proposals by offering financial inducements. According to her account, the alleged contact between the two eventually became closer.

She said the family had initially been reluctant to believe the allegations but later became convinced after allegedly seeing photographs that they considered evidence of a relationship.

Faruk, however, has categorically denied the allegations. He claimed that the incident stemmed from a previous dispute and a disagreement over money he had lent to others. According to him, several individuals, including Saidul and Parvez, assaulted him after he asked for the repayment of the money.

Faruk further alleged that the attackers took Tk 50,000 in cash and his mobile phone during the assault. He insisted that the accusation of an extramarital relationship was completely false and had been used as a pretext for attacking him.

The conflicting accounts have yet to be independently verified, and no conclusive evidence establishing the alleged relationship has been publicly confirmed.

Bauphal police have said they are aware of the incident and have already visited the scene. Officer-in-Charge Sirajul Islam said the police had not received any confirmed information substantiating the allegation of an illicit relationship.

He said legal action would be taken after a written complaint was submitted and the allegations were investigated.

The police officer also urged local residents not to take the law into their own hands. Any allegations of harassment, assault, theft or other wrongdoing, he said, should be reported to the authorities so that they can be investigated through due legal process.

The incident has drawn attention to the risks of mob violence in disputes involving allegations of personal relationships. While the claims made by the two sides remain sharply contradictory, the police investigation and any formal complaint will be crucial in determining what actually happened and whether further legal action is warranted.