Police arrest man who beat minor girls in Munshiganj launch ‘to discipline them as elder brother’
The arrest followed widespread outrage after a video of the assault went viral on social media
Police today (10 May) arrested Nehal Ahmed Jihad for publicly beating two minor girls on a launch docked at the Munshiganj Launch Terminal last night (9 May), while they were returning to Dhaka.
A team from Munshiganj Sadar Police Station detained him at around 1:30pm and brought him in for questioning.
Munshiganj Additional Superintendent of Police Kazi Humayun Rashid confirmed the arrest to The Business Standard and said a case is being prepared in connection with the incident.
The arrest followed widespread outrage after a video of the assault went viral on social media.
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The footage showed a youth, now identified as Nehal, hitting two girls, estimated to be aged between 15 and 17, with a belt at the bow of the launch.
Witnesses said the attack took place in front of 50 to 60 onlookers, many of whom were seen recording the incident or encouraging the assailant.
Nehal, a postgraduate student at Government Haraganga College in Munshiganj, was not a passenger on the launch.
He claimed he boarded with a crowd and beat the girls to "calm" a mob angered by their attire.
"Some 200-300 men were about to attack the girls upon getting angered by their attire. I have punished them as an elder brother to neutralise the people. I should not have done that," he said.
"If I had not punished the girls, the other people would have torn their dresses apart and humiliated them more. I regret what I have done," Nehal added.
Allegations also surfaced that passengers were looted during the incident. Police said mobile phones and money were taken from some individuals, though some items were later reportedly recovered by Nehal and returned.
According to Munshiganj Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saiful Alam, trouble began when a few passengers left the launch to buy snacks and were followed by locals.
Tensions escalated after the locals were stopped from boarding the vessel by the launch manager. Enraged, the crowd entered the launch, vandalised property, and attacked passengers.
Local journalists reported the launch, MV Captain, docked at around 8pm with 300 passengers, including 20–25 boys and two minor girls who had rented cabins and were returning from a picnic.
Video footage circulating online also showed a group of 10–15 individuals beating other young passengers and attempting to break into cabins.
At least six people were reportedly injured in the attack, with police suspecting they are residents of Kamrangirchar in Dhaka.
