A veterinary practitioner was assaulted, his clinic ransacked, and a substantial sum of money looted by a group allegedly led by a local student political leader in Mymensingh. The victim claimed the violent attack was carried out after he refused to pay an extortion demand of 500,000 taka. In the wake of the incident and widespread public outrage, the student organisation expelled the accused leader.
The victim, Dr Md Ashikur Rahman, operates ‘Doctors Pet Care’, a clinic and veterinary supply shop situated in the lane adjacent to Mymensingh Zilla School, where he treats cats and retails pet care accessories.
The assault came to public attention after a 1-minute-48-second closed-circuit television (CCTV) clip circulated widely across social media platforms. The footage shows a woman entering the practice, removing her shoe, and striking Dr Rahman repeatedly. Standing beside her, Talhajur Rahman Pratik, joint general secretary of the Mymensingh Metropolitan Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), was seen filming the assault on his mobile phone before joining in to physically punch and beat the practitioner.
Dr Rahman lodged a formal written complaint with Mymensingh Kotwali Police Station on Saturday afternoon. The complaint named Talhajur Rahman, Afrin Rashid Senjuti, and Sakib alongside four to five unidentified accomplices.
According to the written statement, the accused had been demanding 500,000 taka in extortion from the veterinarian for an extended period. On Thursday evening, the group entered the clinic to press for the money. When Dr Rahman resisted, the attackers disconnected the internal CCTV camera system and assaulted him with iron rods.
When clinic assistant Ishan Ahmed, his wife Tawhia Akter, and the veterinarian’s wife Sajnain Tasnin Siddiqui attempted to intervene and shield Dr Rahman, they were also beaten and manhandled. The complainant stated that the attackers looted 320,150 taka in cash from the clinic’s cash drawer and caused property damage estimated at 180,000 taka by vandalising clinical supplies and retail inventory.
Dr Rahman noted that the attack appeared to involve personal grievances alongside the extortion attempt. He stated that Senjuti harboured lingering resentment following an incident a year ago involving the delivery of a stillborn kitten. She may also have operated under the mistaken impression that he was behind critical social media posts directed at another practitioner.
Mymensingh Additional Superintendent of Police (Administration) Abdullah Al Mamun stated that preliminary findings indicate the altercation stemmed from a dispute on social media concerning pet treatment and a subsequent animal death, adding that law enforcement authorities are pursuing legal proceedings against those involved.
Following the circulation of the video footage, the student political organisation moved swiftly to distance itself from the incident. Mymensingh Metropolitan Chhatra Dal President Gobinda Roy confirmed that Talhajur Rahman has been formally expelled from the organisation for his direct involvement in the assault.
