Two youths were killed after being beaten by an angry mob in the city’s Sayedabad area on Wednesday morning.
The deceased have been identified as Saif Arafat Sharif, 20, son of Kabir Hossain from Araihajar upazila in Narayanganj, and Saidul Islam Yasin, 19, son of Sakhawat Hossain. Both had been working as volunteers on the streets for some days.
Arafat and Yasin were brought to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 10:30am in critical condition. The on-duty doctors declared them dead upon arrival.
Samrat Sheikh, a scout member who brought Saif to the hospital, reported that the youths were attacked by some unidentified individuals in Sayedabad over a dispute involving a woman. The victims were initially left at Jatrabari Police Station around 8:30am, where they were found in severe pain.
Samrat also mentioned that it was reported they were “physically tortured in a hotel in the Sayedabad area.” Their condition worsened, leading to their hospitalisation where they were declared dead after examination.
Shilpi Akhter, the mother of Saidul Islam Yasin, shared that her son had been working as a volunteer for 15 days. He left home in Dhalpur Bowbazar, Jatrabari, on Tuesday morning and had spoken to her multiple times since. Yasin last communicated with his mother around 4am Wednesday, assuring her of his well-being.
Shilpi said she was later informed that her son’s condition was deteriorating and rushed to the police station, finding Yasin in critical condition. She added that while being transported to the hospital, Yasin had told her they were beaten on false charges and had not committed any crime before he lost consciousness.
The bodies have been placed in the hospital morgue, said Inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of the DMCH Police Outpost.
“We are investigating to determine the exact circumstances of the incident,” he said.
