Chhatra Dal leader's 'torture cell' found in Mymensingh

A Chhatra Dal leader in Tarakanda of Mymensingh has come under public scrutiny after a video showing him beating three people in his personal 'torture cell' went viral on social media.

He is Hizbul Alam, also known as Zias, and he serves as the general secretary of the Banihaala union unit of Chhatra Dal, the student wing of the BNP.

The incident took place in Majiali, a remote village in Tarakanda upazila. Hizbul reportedly runs a fish farm there, and he reportedly converted a small room on that farm into a torture cell—where he would play loud music and abuse people.

Recently, three local residents were reportedly held captive and beaten in that room. A video of the incident later spread widely on social media.

One of the victims was Mamun Sarkar, a former joint general secretary of the Mymensingh Metropolitan Chhatra Dal and a resident of Majiali village.
Mamun says he was attacked by Hizbul after protesting the forced closure of local businesses for extortion purposes. He filed a case with the police on Monday.

According to the case statement, Hizbul is a known drug dealer, drug user, and extortionist in the area.

He often takes goods from local shopkeepers in the Majiali market without paying. On 8 August, Hizbul got a haircut at Haq Mia’s salon but refused to pay.

When asked for the payment, he instead demanded Tk 5,000 as extortion money. Eventually, he beat up Haq Mia and his elder brother Lak Mia, and locked up their shop.

When Mamun Sarkar was informed, he advised the brothers to reopen the shop and resume business. The next day, on 9 August, when Hizbul saw the shop open, he allegedly assaulted Haq Mia again, saying, “Whose permission did you get to open the shop without paying me?” Mamun was also attacked when he tried to intervene.

Following the case filed by Mamun Sarkar, two individuals were arrested early Monday morning in connection with the incident. They are Md Rafi, 19, from Digharkanda village in Tarakanda, and Md Abdullah, 20, from Majiali Uttarpara village.

Confirming the information, Tarakanda police station officer-in-charge (OC) Mohammad Tipu Sultan said that efforts are ongoing to arrest Hizbul.

Mamun Sarkar, the plaintiff, said, "No one holding an important position in Chhatra Dal should be involved in extortion or drug dealing. That’s simply unacceptable. I demand strict organisational and legal action. I challenge anyone in the area—if someone can say this man is not a criminal, not a drug dealer, then I’ll withdraw my complaint. Hizbul has set up a torture cell in the village where he brutally tortures people brought in from different areas. He’s brought the idea of torture cells to the grassroots level—this cannot be accepted."

Hizbul Alam was made general secretary on 29 December 2021. While he was inactive during the Awami League government’s tenure, he began “ruling” the local area in his own way following the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August last year.

Mokbul Hossain, a member of the Banihala union parishad and joint convener of the local union BNP, said, "Hizbul does have a torture cell. I’ve seen videos of people being confined and beaten there. Though he holds the title of general secretary of the union Chhatra Dal, we’ve never seen him involved in any party activities. We do not support such wrongdoing."

A video circulating on social media shows Hizbul beating a man inside his den while playing Hindi and Bengali music from a phone. Upon investigation, Prothom Alo identified the victim as Md Jewel Mia, 27, a day labourer by profession.

The video shows Hizbul brandishing a locally-made weapon and instructing another person to beat Jewel. That young man proceeds to hit Jewel, and eventually, Hizbul joins in the assault.

Another victim in the video was also identified as Russel Mia, 28, who, like Jewel, works as a day labourer.

Ruhul Amin and Russel Mia, who work as day labourers in paddy fields, were summoned to Uttar Majiali junction. On Tuesday afternoon, Prothom Alo spoke with Jewel and Russel. They said the incident took place around 20 days ago. Another person named Ruhul Amin, Jewel’s cousin, was also a victim that day.

Md Jewel Mia said he was somewhat acquainted with Hizbul and would occasionally chat with him. One day, when he entered the small room, he was suddenly locked inside. He was held from 5:00pm to 11:00pm. Later, when Russel called Jewel’s phone, Hizbul asked Russel to come over as well. Jewel’s cousin Ruhul was also brought in. All three were then detained and beaten.

Md Russel Mia alleged, “He called me there by phone, then locked me up and beat me. He demanded Tk 40,000 as extortion and beat me while trying to record a video. Eventually, I agreed to pay Tk 10,000, and only then was I released. Before letting me go, he warned me not to tell anyone. We want justice — why were we beaten and tortured like this?”

Although Ruhul Amin could not be found in the area, his wife, Taslima Akter, said her husband was beaten and then forced to make a confession over the phone, acknowledging that he owed Hizbul Tk 50,000. Now, the family is living in fear.

Mozammel Sarkar, a local activist of the union Jubo Dal, said, "What was seen in the video is horrific. People were locked in a room, beaten while loud music played — like something from the Middle Ages. Police broke the lock of the ‘torture cell’ and found various tools used for beatings, along with non-judicial stamp papers. People were brought there, held hostage, and forced to sign documents indicating large sums of money owed. If someone refused to pay the extortion, he would beat them — he didn’t listen to anyone. Almost everyone in the area has suffered abuse at his hands, but no one speaks out out of fear. He even has videos on his TikTok account showing himself with local weapons."

For taking his comment over the allegations, Hizbul Alam was not found in the area. His mobile phone was switched off, and calls to his father, Manjurul Islam, also went unanswered as his phone was found switched off.

Md Saddam Hossain, member secretary of Tarakanda upazila Chhatra Dal, told Prothom Alo over the phone: "No one had previously informed us about Hizbul’s actions. If we had known earlier, we would have taken action."

Nani Debnath, a pharmacy owner, and Saiful Islam Mondal, a tea shop owner in Majiali Bazaar, alleged that Hizbul would take products but refuse to pay. Instead, he demanded extortion money and threatened them, saying they would not be allowed to run their shops without paying.

Early Tuesday morning, police led by sub-inspector (SI) Liton Chandra Pal of Tarakanda police station conducted a raid on Hizbul’s "torture cell".
During the raid, they recovered locally made weapons used for beatings and non-judicial stamp papers.

Prothom Alo has obtained a copy of a financial agreement involving Hizbul and Sohel Mia, the son of Abul Hossain Bepari from Karnaguya village in the upazila.

The agreement is dated 1 June and records a financial transaction. According to the document, Sohel agreed to pay Tk 10,000 in return for a daily profit of Tk 1,000, with a clause stating that if the money was not repaid within 10 days, any necessary measures could be taken. The document bears only Sohel Mia’s signature.

However, Prothom Alo was unable to locate or speak with Sohel Mia or his family. Police have stated that they are working to identify Sohel and learn the full details of what happened.