PABNA, March 4, (V7N) — A brutal incident of "mob justice" has sparked widespread condemnation in Pabna after a young man and woman were chained to a tree and tortured by locals on Wednesday morning. The incident, which took place in Bharaimari Kharedayer village of Salimpur union under Ishwardi upazila, gained national attention after a video of the torture went viral on social media.
The Incident

According to local sources, Kabirul Islam, a resident of Nawabganj in Dinajpur, had traveled to the village to meet a young woman, Sumi Khatun, with whom he was reportedly in a relationship. Locals alleged that Kabirul spent Tuesday night at the woman's house. On Wednesday morning, an agitated group of villagers "caught them red-handed" inside a room.

Instead of calling the police, the mob took the law into their own hands. The pair were dragged outside, tied to a tree with thick ropes, and their feet were secured with metal chains. The video footage shows the victims being subjected to physical abuse and public humiliation while surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.
Condemnation by Human Rights Advocates

The brutality of the act has been heavily criticized by civil society. Kamal Ahmed Siddiqui, the Pabna District Monitoring Officer of the Human Rights and Culture Foundation (MSF), described the act as "inhuman and primitive."

"No one can take the law into their own hands. In a civilized country, such a public display of torture is utterly condemnable. Those who participated in this act must be identified and brought to justice immediately," Siddiqui stated.

Police Response and Jurisdictional Confusion

The incident has also highlighted a lack of immediate police intervention. Md. Mominuzzaman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Ishwardi Police Station, claimed he was aware of the incident but argued that the specific location falls under the jurisdiction of Pabna Sadar Police Station.

However, when contacted, Dulal Hossain, OC of Pabna Sadar Police Station, initially claimed ignorance of the event. "I heard about it for the first time from you," he told reporters on Wednesday afternoon, adding that he would look into the matter.

While some locals defended the action as a "strict social stance" against perceived immorality, the majority of public sentiment online has favored legal accountability, with many noting that the couple should have been handed over to the authorities rather than being subjected to physical torture.

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