Head teacher tied up, beaten over land dispute in Ctg, video of incident goes viral

A head teacher in Chattogram's Satkania was tied to a shop pillar and publicly beaten allegedly due to a longstanding land dispute. 

A video of the incident went viral on social media on Saturday night (28 June), sparking widespread outrage in the area.

The victim, Abdur Rahman, is the head teacher of Bhaggyakul Kadukhola High School in the Sualok Union of Bandarban Sadar Upazila and hails from Buchir Para in Keochia Union of Satkania.

According to Abdur Rahman, there has been a longstanding land dispute between his family and the family of Abu Bakkar in the locality. The conflict recently escalated. On the night of 27 June a local shopkeeper named Md Hanif allegedly lured him to the Dastidar Hat market. 

Upon arrival, Hanif, along with Hannan, Sohag, Iqbal, Abu Bakkar, and Muslim Uddin Hiru, joined by 10 to 12 others tied him to a shop pillar with rope and publicly slapped and beat him.

Abdur Rahman claimed that the attackers tried to force him to sign blank stamp papers. When he refused, Hanif and Hiru allegedly threatened to stab him in the abdomen with a knife. 

He said they then beat him while he was tied to the post, injuring his eye to the point that he is now unable to see properly. 

Although he has filed a complaint with the police, he stated that he feels extremely unsafe.

A video of the incident was circulated on Facebook on the night of 28 June, showing a man tied to a post while people stood around watching.

Satkania police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Zahedul Islam said, "We have seen the video. The victim has filed a written complaint. We are investigating the matter and will take appropriate legal action."

Satkania Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Milton Biswas said, "It is absolutely condemnable to tie a teacher to a post and beat him. I saw the video on Facebook myself. The OC has already been instructed to take necessary action."

Repeated attempts to contact accused Md Hanif were unsuccessful. However, another accused, Muslim Uddin Hiru, posted on Facebook to explain their side. 

He claimed that Abdur Rahman's 12 siblings had sold their land to them, with 10 of them completing legal registration. He alleged that Abdur Rahman, without selling his share, had occupied more land than he was entitled to.

Hiru further claimed that they had asked Abdur Rahman about the matter 10–15 times, but he refused to respond. 

On the day of the incident, Hiru's father reportedly confronted him, and Abdur Rahman allegedly pushed him. As a result, a scuffle ensued and tied him up. However, Hiru's post did not mention the beating.