A woman named Shakila Zerin was allegedly assaulted and threatened after protesting against being secretly photographed in the Green Road area of Dhaka.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, May 27, at a residential building known as ‘Green Corner,’ located at 28 Green Road.
According to the complaint, around 4 PM that day, Shakila was sitting at a nearby tea stall when she noticed a man inside the guardroom of the building taking her photo and recording video with his phone. She approached the guard to inquire about it. Initially denying the act, the guard later opened his phone when asked to show the gallery, which revealed that the first photo was indeed of her.
When she asked for the photo to be deleted, the guard allegedly assaulted her and attempted to physically restrain her. Shortly after, her colleagues arrived and found more previously taken photos on the device.
About ten minutes later, a man named Sagar arrived at the scene with several others. While the accused guard, identified as Salam, offered an apology in their presence, he refused to provide his phone password to delete the content from cloud storage and the device’s trash folder. When he attempted to leave with the phone, another scuffle ensued, during which Shakila was allegedly assaulted again.
Later, two men, including Sagar, came to her office to retrieve the phone. She called the emergency hotline, prompting them to flee. Police arrived around 7 PM and accompanied her to the site, but Salam had already left. Despite the police presence, a group of individuals reportedly threatened her with death, hurled abusive language, and made misogynistic remarks. She fled back to her office as officers tried to manage the situation, but the group continued to loiter outside, compelling her to seek further assistance from the authorities.
Shakila has expressed deep concern for her safety, stating that she has been unable to leave her home or return to work due to fear and insecurity. She has urged the authorities to ensure her protection.
Police confirmed that they are investigating the incident and reviewing CCTV footage. Legal action will be taken if the allegations are substantiated.
