Mahdi accused of assault in Habiganj

Mahdi Hasan, member-editor of the Habiganj branch of the ‘Students’ Anti-Discrimination Movement’, is undergoing treatment at the Habiganj District Sadar Hospital after raising another allegation of assault on Chhatra Dal leaders and activists in Habiganj. He went live on Facebook from in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office this Thursday (June 11) afternoon.
In the live broadcast, a person from Mahdi’s ID can be heard saying, “This is the Deputy Commissioner’s area. Let’s take you directly to the Deputy Commissioner.” However, he indicated to go to the hospital instead of going there. Later, while keeping the live broadcast on, he went to the hospital for treatment. Eyewitnesses said that as soon as he came down from the building on the south side of the Deputy Commissioner’s office and entered the premises, some youths dragged him and punched, kicked and slapped him. As a result, his pants were torn below the knee and injury marks were visible.
Earlier on Wednesday afternoon, he went live from a battery-powered auto-rickshaw on Old Hospital Road and complained that Chhatra Dal leaders and workers chased and tried to attack him because he expressed his personal views on social media. Later, he took shelter at Habiganj Sadar Model Police Station. Today, on his way to the hospital, he said live that the incident of the previous day’s attack was captured on the CCTV camera of the Deputy Commissioner’s office. He had gone there to apply for collecting the footage. He was attacked as soon as he came out.
However, District Chhatra Dal President Shah Rajib Ahmed Ringon denied the attack allegations. He said that there is no basis for the allegations made by Mahdi on the live. The allegations against Chhatra Dal are completely false and baseless. Habiganj Sadar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md. Zahidur Rahman said that it has been learned that some people punched and kicked Mahdi. Efforts are underway to identify the attackers. CCTV footage is being collected. Legal action will be taken in this incident.
Regarding Chhatra Dal’s involvement, the police said that the matter is under investigation. So far, no evidence of their involvement has been found. Mahdi came into the spotlight during the 2024 anti-discrimination student movement and was active in the anti-government movement. Later, he came into the spotlight through various comments and statements on irregularities on social media.
On January 1, when a young man was arrested at Shayestaganj police station as a Chhatra League activist, he went to the police station with his followers and demanded an explanation from the police about the arrest. The video of this incident went viral on social media. In the video, he can be heard saying, “We burned the police station, we burned SI Santosh.” His comments sparked criticism. Later, the police arrested him, but he was granted bail through the court.