A murder case has been filed over the mob killing of Wahiduzzaman Shamim in Debhata upazila of Satkhira, with Fazlul Haque Amini, who allegedly used a Facebook live broadcast to gather a crowd, named as the prime accused.
The prime accused was later seen boasting about the killing online.
The case was registered at Debhata Police Station around 11pm yesterday (15 October), with 10 named accused and 200–250 unidentified people. Shamim's elder brother, Jalil Sana, filed the case.
Debhata Police Station Officer-in-Charge HM Shaheen said Shamim was beaten by a mob twice over allegations of religious defamation, resulting in his death.
Police rescued Shamim after the first attack on Tuesday (13 October) evening and admitted him to Debhata Upazila Health Complex. Around 9pm, a crowd identifying itself as Tawhidi Janata arrived at the hospital in a procession and allegedly assaulted him again.
He was later taken to Satkhira Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The OC said police were conducting operations to arrest the accused but could not disclose their identities in full at this stage for the sake of the investigation.
He identified Fazlul Haque Amini as the prime accused, alleging that he went live on Facebook and mobilised people with the intention of killing Shamim.
Shamim, 40, was the son of the late Shamsur Rahman of Barashanta village in Debhata. Amini is the son of Ruhul Amin of South Parulia village in the same upazila.
Allegations of religious defamation
According to local residents, Amini, a religious figure in Debhata, went live on Facebook and urged people to gather after accusing Shamim of hurting religious sentiments.
Tensions had reportedly risen after an audio recording allegedly containing anti-Islamic remarks by Shamim circulated in the area.
After Shamim's death, Amini reportedly said Shamim had repeatedly made objectionable remarks about Allah, the Prophet and Islam. He claimed that Shamim would make anti-Islamic comments when neighbours or others spoke to him, adding that the Tawhidi Janata had beaten him to death.
Shamim was reportedly receiving treatment at the chamber of a village doctor, Sabur, in the Kuliya area when the first attack took place. He had fallen ill after ingesting poison.
Family says Shamim had mental health problems
Shamim's younger brother, Sagor Sana, said the family had five brothers and Shamim was the fourth. He said Shamim had completed his Kamil degree at a madrasa and obtained his bachelor's and master's degrees from Jagannath University. He also had two children.
According to Sagor, Shamim had developed mental health problems following family difficulties and was receiving medication.
"He was not well; he was a sick person. He was mentally unstable. Sometimes he was fine, and at other times he behaved and spoke abnormally. He had been taking medication. If he said something, he should have been tried under the law. Why was a man beaten to death like this?" he said.
Sagor alleged that an argument between Shamim and his wife had preceded the incident. Someone nearby reportedly recorded their conversation and circulated it, fuelling public anger.
He said Shamim had attempted suicide by ingesting poison after the argument and was receiving treatment at Sabur's chamber in Kuliya when the mob attacked him.
"They went there and beat him, then surrounded the hospital and beat him again there, killing my brother," Sagor said.