Daijiworld Media Network - Dhaka
Dhaka, Jan 3: A video circulating on social media has triggered widespread outrage after a Bangladeshi youth leader was seen boasting about the killing of a Hindu police officer and issuing open threats to law enforcement officials during what he described as the July 2024 uprising.
The video was shared on X by investigative journalist and author Sahidul Hasan Khokon, who identified the speaker as a student coordinator from Habiganj district. In the clip, the youth is heard threatening the officer-in-charge of a police station, warning that it would be set on fire.
He claims that during the so-called “July movement”, the Baniachong police station had already been torched. In a chilling statement, the youth is heard saying, “We burned Hindu officer SI Santosh,” referring to Sub-Inspector Santosh Bhabhu. The remarks were allegedly made inside a police station, with no visible fear or remorse.
The video has renewed attention on the lynching of SI Santosh Bhabhu, who was attached to the Baniachong police station in Habiganj district and was killed by a mob on August 5, 2024.
According to reports published by Bangladeshi daily Desh Rupantar, violence broke out that evening when a mob attacked the police station amid escalating political unrest, hours before then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned. In what was described as self-defence, police personnel, including Santosh Bhabhu, opened fire to disperse the mob, resulting in three deaths on the spot and injuries to several others. One of the injured later died during treatment.
Later that night, around 1 am, the mob reportedly returned and surrounded the police station. When army personnel arrived, the mob allegedly agreed to allow all other police officers to leave in exchange for Santosh Bhabhu being handed over. He was subsequently lynched to death around 2.15 am, and his body was left on the road until the next day, after which it was reportedly further desecrated.
Habiganj district in northeastern Bangladesh has a predominantly Muslim population, with Bengali Muslims accounting for around 84 per cent of residents, while Bengali Hindus form a significant minority of nearly 16 per cent, according to census data. The Hindu community has traditionally lived in concentrated pockets, particularly in areas such as Baniachong and Habiganj Sadar.
The resurfacing of the video has once again highlighted concerns over communal violence, political unrest and the safety of minority communities and law enforcement personnel in Bangladesh.