Two men beaten for boarding ferry with mayor Taposh's convoy

Two men were mercilessly beaten for boarding a ferry designated for Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayor Sheikh Fazle Nur Taposh at Banglabazar ferry ghat in Madaripur.

The victims alleged that persons in charge of mayor Taposh's protocol beat them up at around 7:00 in the evening on Saturday.

Local people rescued Dhaka Super Export company chairman Nuh Alam Rajib, 38, and official of the same company Rashed Bhuiyan, 35, and took them to a local private clinic.

Nuh Alam Rajib told Prothom Alo on Sunday, “We boarded the ferry with permission from police deployed at the ferry ghat. Some people of mayor’s protocol with wireless sets and pistols asked us to get off. They started to beat us up when we requested them to let us stay on the ferry. They would’ve killed us if police and local people had not come to our rescue.”

Asked if he will take legal action, Rajib said, “It’ll only make matters worse for us.”

Rashed Bhuiyan said some 8-10 persons started to beat them up with the wireless sets, without any provocation.

Banglabazar ferry ghat’s workers and witnesses said ferry communication was snapped for an hour on Saturday evening due to inclement weather. Two cars including Nuh Alam Rajib’s one had been waiting for the ferry. Mayor Taposh’s entourage, a total of 35 vehicles including two buses, reached the ferry ghat area at around 7:30pm. Rajib’s car and other one had boarded the ferry at that time which ensued an altercation. The protocol personnel at some point started to beat Rajib and Rashed with their wireless sets.

On duty physician of Islamia Hospital said the victims’ heads and eyes were injured in the beating.

An official of the mayor’s convoy, on condition of anonymity, said the two were not supposed to board the ferry as it was designated for the mayor’s entourage. The passengers of the two cars outside of the convoy were asked politely to get off as two more vehicles of the mayor’s convoy was waiting to get into the ferry. But they branded themselves as Jubo League leader and Gopalganj residents. Annoyed, the ferry workers assaulted them.

He claimed no protocol officials had beaten them.

Ashiqur Rahman, inspector of Banglabazar ferry ghat’s traffic police, said he heard about the incident but does not know much as the victims did not complain to the police.

Mayor Taposh, when contacted for his comment on the matter, did not reply to the call. DSCC’s spokesperson and public relation officer Md Abu Naser was unwilling to comment on the incident.