Now another BNP leader conducts ‘anti-drug raid’; beats up citizens with pipe

Another BNP leader has come under scrutiny after a video showing him beating suspected drug users during an “anti-drug operation” in Barishal went viral on social media, days after Ishraque Hossain resigned as state minister for liberation war affairs following a similar controversy.

Moniruzzaman Khan Faruk, convener of the Barishal metropolitan unit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and his associates were seen beating people in the Amanatganj area of the city on Tuesday night.

Faruk personally beat suspected drug users, footage of which subsequently circulated on social media.

Among those present was Navidur Rahman Tushar, member secretary of the Barishal metropolitan unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the BNP's student wing, along with several other party activists.

The group initially detained two people and later appeared to apprehend two more.

Faruk is then seen slapping the detainees and beating them with a pipe.

No law enforcement personnel are visible at the scene during the operation.

The 3-minute-and-39-second video of the operation drew mixed reactions online. While some users praised the initiative, others criticised the participants for taking the law into their own hands.

'Parents discipline their children; slapped them in same spirit'

Speaking to Daily Waadaa, Faruk said residents had become fed up with drug-related problems in the area, prompting him to take action.

“Residents have become exasperated by the prevalence of drugs. Left with no alternative, I have launched an operation against drugs. There will be no place for drugs in this area,” he said.

He said the operation was conducted at around 8pm on Tuesday in the areas surrounding the TB Hospital and Children's Hospital in Amanatganj.

Three or four people were detained during the operation but were subsequently released, he added.

Claiming that suspects are always released after being handed over to the police, Faruk said: “So, for the time being, they have been released after being warned.”

Asked about slapping the victims, he said: “You can discipline your own children, too. I slapped them in that same spirit.”

How was the operation conducted without informing the police?

Mohammad Kamal Hossain, inspector (investigation) at Kaunia Police Station under Barishal Metropolitan Police, said he had not been informed about Faruk's anti-drug operation.

“We were not informed about this operation, either before or afterwards. However, we regularly conduct anti-drug operations in that area,” he said.

He added that every socially conscious citizen should come forward to help combat drugs.

Responding to Faruk's allegation that police release drug dealers or users after detaining them, the police official said: “That is his personal opinion. He is free to say whatever he wants.”

No case or complaint has been filed over the incident yet.