Madaripur mob lynching on suspicion of theft: Attempt to gouge out a young man's eyes

Three young men were lynched on suspicion of theft in the Paschim Math Baghabari area of Shirkhara union in Madaripur Sadar upazila early Sunday morning. According to local sources, residents of the area chased and caught the three and started beating them severely, thinking they were behaving suspiciously.

The injured are Zakir Sheikh, Israfil Matubbar (42) and Babul Sikder (27). Zakir Sheikh is the son of Wazed Sheikh, a resident of the area. It is alleged that at one stage during the mob lynching, some agitated people tried to gouge out Zakir's eyes.

Police reached the spot and rescued all three. The seriously injured Zakir Sheikh was first admitted to the Madaripur 250-bed District Hospital. Later, when his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The police detained the other two and took them to the police station.

Adil Hossain, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Madaripur Sadar Police Station, confirmed the incident and said, “Three people were beaten up on suspicion of being thieves. An attempt was made to gouge out the eyes of one of them. An investigation is underway.”

Local residents said that recent incidents of theft and robbery in the area have spread panic among the general public, in view of which they have taken such preventive measures. However, they demanded that the police and administration be vigilant and take action against the culprits through proper investigation.