Three police officers have been suspended following the uproar around Bangladesh in reaction to the harassment of Nayeem Hasan, while a three-member investigation committee has also been set up to look into the events around the incident, which took place in Chattogram late on Friday night.
According to reports in Bangladesh, sub-inspector Mohammad Shafiqul Islam Bhuiyan, constable Mohammad Rasel Chowdhury, and an unnamed police operations management constable are the officers to have been suspended. Chattogram Metropolitan Police (CMP) commissioner Shawkat Ali, meanwhile, visited Nayeem's residence on Saturday. He said proceedings would be initiated against the three officers following the investigation.
CMP deputy commissioner Amirul Islam had told reporters on Saturday that action would be taken against those found guilty. "It appears initially that the officers involved did not follow proper procedures during the operation," he told The Daily Sun. “We will ensure that he [Nayeem] receives justice, and whoever is found responsible will be brought under punishment.”
Nayeem was allegedly assaulted by the police in Chattogram night when he was headed home from the Dhaka airport after his team Prime Bank Cricket Club's Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League match, which he didn't play, in Savar, near Dhaka, earlier in the day.
The policemen stopped the CNG-run auto-rickshaw he was in near the city's Lalkhan Bazar area. Nayeem described the officers as being hostile, though he wasn't aware of the reason for their aggression. He said they caught him by the throat and pushed him into another auto-rickshaw to take him to a police station. Onlookers reportedly told the police that he was a national cricketer, but they didn't pay heed.
Nayeem was released in the early hours of Saturday and returned home.
On Sunday, The Daily Star quoted Nayeem as saying, "When they put me into the CNG, I was very frightened. If the 100 to 120 supporters and local people had not been present, the incident could have turned out differently.
“I would especially like to thank them. When the police took me to Khulshi Police Station, I appealed to them. The supporters also came from Lalkhan Bazar to the police station with me that night.”
Once news of the incident became public, a number of prominent Bangladesh cricketers, including Mushfiqur Rahim and Litton Das, expressed their shock.
The BCB and the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh quickly sent out press statements condemning the incident and calling for justice, while Tamim Iqbal, the BCB president, said, “Whatever needs to be done from here on will also be done by the BCB. We are always with Nayeem and other cricketers.”
Nayeem has been named in the 15-member Bangladesh squad that will travel to Zimbabwe for the one-off Test later this month. Nayeem has played 14 Tests since making his debut in 2018.
Source: Espncricinfo
– Agencies
