What is known about the video of two young men roaming around with guns
Two young men wearing black long kurtas, pyjamas and caps on their heads carry two large black guns. At times, they are seen walking around inside a park, sometimes on busy roads, and at other times in front of shops, carrying the guns. Suddenly, they point the guns at whoever they encounter. Rickshaw pullers, pedestrians and even children are not spared. Some stop in their tracks, some move away in fear, while others stare in astonishment.
A 35-second video of this kind spread on Facebook, prompting many to post it as an example of the unchecked spread of weapons in the country. Some also criticised the government. However, one of the two young men has claimed that the video was not an actual display of firearms but was deliberately made to capture people's reactions.
The video was filmed at various locations in Narayanganj City Park (formerly Sheikh Russell Nahar Park). The video's creator, Limon Toha, lives in Bandar upazila in Narayanganj. The other young man seen carrying a gun is Yasin. He mainly assists Limon Toha in filming his videos as a cameraman.
The video that spread on Facebook was first posted on a TikTok account named ‘VAI_BON’. Limon and his sister create and post various types of videos on the account. The same video was later posted on an Instagram account named ‘limon_since2004’ and a Facebook account named ‘Waffi Limon’. Limon said all three accounts belong to him.
‘Video created to see public reactions’
Limon Toha told Prothom Alo that he made the video after seeing a trend of similar videos on TikTok. According to him, the main purpose was to capture the immediate reactions of common people upon seeing the guns.
Limon claimed, “It was basically made as a funny video. But after we posted it on Facebook, many people promoted it negatively. We showed the parts where people were frightened. Later, when they had fun, we did not publish those parts.”
According to Limon, he watches films and dramas from Pakistan and various other countries. He creates videos in his own way after being inspired by some scenes from those films and dramas. He receives more response to content modelled on Pakistani videos and dramas. He subsequently became more inclined to make such videos. Despite facing various criticisms over his content, Limon claims that his position regarding the country is clear.
Asked whether it is permissible to frighten people in this way by carrying guns, Limon Toha said, “I don't know whether this is a crime or not. Many people make such videos in other countries. I made the video after seeing trends from different countries on TikTok. It was made purely for fun.”
‘The police also saw it’
Claiming that the gun used in the video was a toy, Limon said police also saw the incident while the video was being filmed.
Limon said, “Several people were initially frightened after seeing the gun. Later, when they realised it was a toy gun, they also had fun. The police also saw it. They were somewhat surprised at first but later understood that it was a toy gun. So there was no problem. We also filmed the police's reaction, but it was not properly captured, so we did not post it on Facebook.”
The homes of the two young men fall under Bandar police station. However, the location where the video was filmed falls under Narayanganj Sadar Model police station.
Sajedur Rahman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Narayanganj Sadar Model Police Station, told Prothom Alo, “We are not aware of any such video. No one has informed me, nor has anyone lodged a complaint. Our police personnel are on duty in the City Park area. Neither they nor the park authorities have reported anything. We will look into it. If there is any involvement, action will be taken after discussing the matter with the higher authorities.”
What does the law say?
Although the video was made for entertainment purposes, legal experts believe that it constitutes a punishable offence.
Md Rabiul Islam, a professor of the Department of Law and Justice at Jahangirnagar University, told Prothom Alo that this is entirely a legal matter. If someone is intimidated using any kind of tool, it constitutes a punishable offence, whether it is done with a toy weapon or for the purpose of making a video.
There are two issues here—the first is that people are being frightened with a weapon and panic is being created. This is clearly a punishable offence. Secondly, the video, that is, the video creating panic among people, is being spread on Facebook, thereby causing defamation. This falls under the Cyber Security Act, he added.