Freedom fighter harassed, forced to wear garland of shoes in Chauddagram, govt condemns incident

The government has strongly condemned the humiliation and defamation of freedom fighter Abdul Hai Kanu, whose video of being forced to wear a garland of shoes has gone viral on social media.

"We strongly condemn the defamation of Freedom Fighter Abdul Hai at Chauddagram on Sunday," said a statement issued by the Chief Adviser's Press Wing today (23 December).

Police and local administration have been asked to launch an investigation into the incident and bring the perpetrators to book, it said.

Mentioning local police have said that Hai is accused in nine cases, including murder, the press wing statement read, "We ask all to refrain from taking the law into their own hands."

The incident occurred in Chauddagram of Cumilla yesterday (22 December).

The one-minute-and-46-second video that surfaced on social media last night shows Abdul Hai being brought forward by a group of young men and a middle-aged individual. Wearing a red waistcoat and traditional attire, Hai is seen pleading with the perpetrators as they force him to wear a garland of shoes.

One person in the video is heard threatening Hai - who was involved with Awami League before the AL government fell on 5 August in a mass uprising - to leave his house, while another demands he leave Cumilla entirely.

The visibly distressed Hai, hands folded, apologised to the men, as the group accused him of harming the community. The video ends with two individuals escorting him away from the scene.

According to locals, the incident took place when Hai went to the local market yesterday morning and was accosted by the group, who took him to Kuliara High School. There, he was physically and verbally harassed. Following the incident, the perpetrators fled.

An investigation has identified several suspects, including individuals believed to be residing in Gazipur and Dhaka, according to police.

Chauddagram police station Officer-in-Charge ATM Akhtaruzzaman said, "We have identified some of the culprits. Teams have been dispatched to arrest them. Efforts are underway to bring them to justice."  

Speaking to reporters, Abdul Hai said, "What happened to me is barbaric. If the perpetrators are not arrested within 24 hours, I will take my own life. My family has been relentlessly harassed since 2016, when my son Biplob ran for the chairmanship of Batisha Union. Former MP Mujibul Haque opposed his candidacy and filed nine cases against us, even sending me to jail."

He also said during his time in prison, he shared a cell with Jamaat-e-Islami leader Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher. "On Sunday, in Taher's former constituency, they behaved with me worse than Pakistani collaborators. They even held a knife to my throat," he said.

Locals suggested that his connection with central AL leaders might have fuelled the animosity.

Upon asking if he could identify the perpetrators, Hai claimed, "One of them is a notorious criminal who returned to the area after 5 August and resumed his activities. Another lives in Gazipur."