Police yet to identify helmet-wearing youth who hacked Nahid

A youth wearing helmet is hacking Nahid, a courier service employee, during the recent clash between Dhaka College students and New Market area traders on 19 April
The Daily Star

A helmet-wearing youth hacking another young man lying unconscious on the pavement near Dhaka College— this graphic video has been making rounds on social media for the last two days. We now know that the hapless youth was Nahid Hossain, a courier service worker who died in recent clashes between Dhaka College students and traders of New Market area.

The police could not identify the youth in the helmet yet. However, officials of the police said they are nearly sure that the helmet-wearing attacker is a student of Dhaka College.

The law enforcers, however, identified 12 more persons who took part in the clashes with sharp weapons and sticks from video footage and pictures. They include both Dhaka College students and traders of the New Market area. Police are not publishing their names for sake of investigation.

Meanwhile, a murder case has been filed with New Market police station over the death of Mohammad Morsalin, an employee of a shop. Morsalin’s brother Nur Mohammad filed the case accusing 100-150 unidentified persons. Four cases have so far been filed over the clashes. A total of 1574 persons have been accused in the cases. 24 BNP men have been named in a case filed over attack on police.

The first round of clashes between students and traders broke out on Monday night over an altercation between two staff of two fast food shops in New Market.

On Tuesday, the students and the traders of New Market locked into clashes again which continued throughout the day. Two persons died while undergoing treatment. Both of them had marks of injury from sharp weapons.

Of the four cases filed over the incident, the investigation of Nahid murder has been handed over to detective branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Ramna division. New Market police are investigating the three other cases.

New Market division police’s senior assistant commissioner Sharif Md Farukuzzaman said they have so far learnt that the Dhaka College students at first mistakenly thought Nahid was one of them. After learning his actual identity, they beat him up. Then he was hacked with sharp weapon.

The police official said several persons have been quizzed over the incident and some of them are under surveillance.

DB Ramna division’s deputy commissioner HM Azimul Haque told Prothom Alo on Friday night that the persons wearing helmets during the attack seem to be students of Dhaka College. An effort is on to identify all involved with the attack.

Meanwhile, the markets in the New Market area have reopened since Thursday. A huge number of customers was seen in the markets on Friday.

Jahanara Parvin, a housewife from Adabar area, told Prothom Alo on Friday afternoon that she had a plan to come to New Market two or three days ago but could not due to the clashes.