Police have arrested a young man named Nehal Ahmed, also known as Jihad, for publicly assaulting two young women with a belt on a launch docked at Munshiganj terminal. He was detained on Saturday afternoon by officials from Munshiganj Sadar Police Station.
Nehal Ahmed is a resident of Dakshin Islampur in Munshiganj Sadar upazila. According to the police, the two women involved in the incident, which took place aboard the launch "MV Captain," are estimated to be around 19 or 20 years old.
Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Saiful Alam confirmed to media on Saturday that they had called Jihad to the station after a video of the assault went viral on social media the previous day. He came in and was being interrogated, the OC said.
The viral video on Facebook shows a man beating two young women with a belt at the front of the launch, while local bystanders cheer, film the scene on their phones, and shout slogans.
According to the OC, on Friday afternoon, a group of 200–300 people departed on a river cruise from Keraniganj, Dhaka. The launch first stopped at Sadarghat and then headed toward Mohanpur in Chandpur. During the journey, a dispute arose among passengers over picnic fees. Around 8 PM, the launch stopped at Munshiganj terminal for snacks.
OC Saiful Alam said that during this time, local residents claimed to have seen some of the young passengers in an intoxicated state. They then boarded the launch, conducted a search, and upon finding several individuals in what they described as “objectionable situations,” began vandalizing the vessel and physically assaulting some passengers. Police arrived shortly after and brought the situation under control, sending the launch back to Dhaka.
Speaking with a reporter at the police station, Nehal Ahmed claimed, “A crowd of locals became angry over the girls’ behavior and appearance. They were coming to attack them. Some of the girls asked me to help them escape the situation. I tried to explain the danger outside and told them I would help get them out safely. I was afraid of being attacked by the mob if I didn’t act. They treated me like an elder brother and asked me to do something.”
He added, “As an elder brother, I tried to discipline them. That’s all. Still, I admit that what I did was wrong, and I regret it.”
OC Saiful Alam said that no formal complaint has been filed yet. One of the victims was asked to take legal action but later said she would not proceed. Her phone has since been unreachable. River police are in contact with the launch authorities. If no one steps forward to file a case, the police may file one themselves.
