Bangladesh cricketer Nayeem Hasan was reportedly assaulted by the police in Chattogram on Friday night when Nayeem was headed home from the Dhaka airport after his team Prime Bank Cricket Club’s Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League match, which he didn’t play, in Savar, near Dhaka, earlier in the day.
The policemen stopped the CNG-run auto-rickshaw he was in near the city’s Lalkhan Bazar area. Nayeem described the officers as being hostile, though he wasn’t aware of the reason for their aggression. He said they caught him by the throat and pushed him into another auto-rickshaw to take him to a police station. Onlookers reportedly told the police that he was a national cricketer, but they didn’t pay heed.
“I repeatedly told them who I was, but they refused to listen,” Nayeem told reporters in Chattogram later. “The police beat me indiscriminately with sticks and plastic pipes. Later, when I identified myself at the police station, the officer-in-charge told me to keep my eyes down while speaking.
“If they were really police officers, why did they try to put me into a CNG instead of a police vehicle? I want a fair investigation and justice over the entire incident.”
Chattogram Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Amirul Islam told reporters that action would be taken against those found guilty. “It appears initially that the officers involved did not follow proper procedures during the operation,” Amirul told The Daily Sun. “We will ensure that he [Nayeem] receives justice, and whoever is found responsible will be brought under punishment.”
Nayeem was released in the early hours of Saturday and returned home.
A number of prominent Bangladesh cricketers reacted to the incident on their social media pages, with senior pro Mushfiqur Rahim saying, “What happened to Nayeem is absolutely unacceptable. I want a fair investigation of the incident. I am hurt and ashamed at what happened to Nayeem. I protest this incident as a Bangladesh citizen. Nayeem, we are with you!”
The BCB said in a statement on Saturday morning that it expects a “thorough and impartial investigation” about the incident. (ESPN)
