Jubo Dal leaders attack women at Banani hotel

In the Banani Thana area of the capital, activists of the Jubo Dal, youth wing of the BNP, forcibly entered Zakaria Hotel in a group and assaulted two women.

The incident occurred on Wednesday night under the leadership of Monir Hossain, convener of the Banani Thana Jubo Dal.

Although a case has been filed with Banani police station, no arrests have been made yet.

A video of the incident has gone viral on social media platform Facebook. In the footage, a woman wearing a sari is seen running down the stairs of the hotel. At that moment, a man approaches from the opposite direction, blocks her path, and strikes her. As a result of the assault, the woman falls to the floor.

The video also shows that as one woman was running down the stairs, another woman behind her was also trying to flee. Several individuals were seen chasing her from behind. One of them caught her and threw her to the ground. After that, the attackers collectively assaulted both women as they lay on the floor. Around 8 to 10 people are seen in the footage during the attack.

In the video that spread on Facebook, the two women can be heard screaming as they are attacked. Despite their prolonged cries for help, some of the initial attackers are seen leaving the frame, while new individuals enter the scene. Sounds of vandalism within the hotel can also be heard during the incident.

Mohammad Russel Sarwar, officer-in-charge (OC) of Banani police station under Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), told Prothom Alo that the group, led by Jubo Dal leader Monir Hossain, entered Zakaria Hotel. The hotel authorities filed a case against the accused individuals on the night of the incident.

Following the circulation of the video on Facebook, widespread outrage erupted. Many criticised the failure to arrest the accused Jubo Dal leader and the lack of political action against him. In response to the backlash, Jubo Dal through a press release announced on Thursday night around 8:00pm that Monir Hossain had been expelled from the organisation, including his primary membership.

In the press release, Jubo Dal stated that the party would not take responsibility for any misconduct by expelled leaders. All levels of party members have been instructed to sever organisational ties with him. Law enforcement agencies have also been urged to take necessary legal action.

When asked about the steps being taken to arrest the accused, DMP additional commissioner (Crime & Operations) SN Md Nazrul Islam told Prothom Alo that a case was filed immediately after the incident and that police operations are ongoing to apprehend the suspects.