Police have arrested two people in a murder case over the mob killing of Wahiduzzaman Shamim in Debhata upazila of Satkhira after he was accused of religious defamation, with the victim's family claiming both arrestees are activists of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
Jalil Sana, the victim's elder brother, filed the case at around 11pm last night (15 October). Ten people are named in the case, while 200–250 others have been listed as unidentified accused.
HM Shaheen, officer-in-charge of Debhata Police Station, said Shamim was beaten by a mob on two occasions following allegations of religious defamation, which led to his death.
Police have arrested two people in connection with the incident, while efforts are underway to arrest the others, he added.
The OC said police rescued Shamim after receiving reports of the first assault before Tuesday evening (13 October) and admitted him to Debhata Upazila Health Complex.
At around 9pm that night, a group identifying themselves as "Touhidi Janata" arrived at the hospital in a procession and assaulted him again, he added.
Shamim was later taken to Satkhira Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead, the OC said.
The victim's brother Jalil claimed that the two arrested men are Jamaat activists.
He identified them as Asadul Islam, an activist of Jamaat's Ward No 8 unit in Parulia union, and Moktar Hossain, an activist of Ward No 7 in Kulia union.
"They were present when our house was attacked on Monday. Asadul Islam damaged the lock on our house," Jalil said.
Shamim, 40, was the son of the late Shamsur Rahman and a resident of Baro Shanta village in Debhata upazila.
The prime accused in the case is Fazlul Haque Amini, who allegedly went live on Facebook to gather a crowd with the intention of killing Shamim. Amini is the son of Ruhul Amin and lives in South Parulia village in the same upazila.
According to local residents, Amini, a local religious figure in Debhata, went live on Facebook and called on people to gather after accusing Shamim of hurting religious sentiments. Tensions had already been mounting after three audio recordings allegedly containing anti-Islamic remarks by Shamim circulated in the area.
After Shamim's death, Amini reportedly said Shamim had been making objectionable remarks about Allah, the Prophet and Islam.
"Whenever neighbours or anyone else spoke to him, he would make anti-Islamic remarks. The Towhidi Janata beat him to death and sent him out of this world," Amini said.
However, Shamim's younger brother, Sagor Sana, said his brother had been suffering from mental illness and should have been dealt with through the legal system if he had made offensive remarks.
Sagor further alleged that someone had recorded a quarrel between Shamim and his wife and circulated the audio, provoking people against him.
"Shamim had a quarrel with his wife. Someone recorded what he said during the argument and circulated it, making people angry. After the quarrel, he drank poison in an attempt to kill himself. He was receiving treatment at rural physician Sabur's chamber in Kulia. They went there and beat him, then surrounded the hospital and beat him again. That is how they killed my brother," he said.