Last Updated on January 3, 2026 8:22 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
A video showing a Bangladesh anti-Sheikh Hasina movement leader allegedly threatening a police officer and referring to past mob violence has gone viral, drawing widespread criticism on social media.
The incident took place at Shayestaganj Police Station in Habiganj on January 2, when leaders of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD) movement confronted police over the detention of Enamul Hasan Noyon. During a heated exchange, Mahdi Hasan, general secretary of SAD’s Habiganj unit, is heard telling the officer-in-charge (OC), “We burned down Baniyachong police station. We set SI Santosh on fire.”
Referring to the 2024 July uprising that led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government, Mahdi said, “We formed this government. Yet you are picking up our boys. Now I want to know with what audacity he was arrested.”
Noyon had been detained around midnight on January 1 due to his listed position as a vice-president in a 2023 Bangladesh Chhatra League committee. Police said the Chhatra League is now banned. SAD leaders, however, claimed Noyon actively participated in the July 2024 movement.
The confrontation escalated inside the police station, prompting criticism after video footage circulated online. Additional Superintendent of Police Shahidul Islam later intervened, following which Noyon was released around 3pm.
Mahdi later told reporters that Noyon had “actively participated in the movement to topple the autocracy,” but declined to comment on his remarks. Later, he described the statements as having been made “in the heat of the moment.”
District Police Superintendent Yasmin Khatun said she had reviewed the video and spoken to those involved. “Noyon appeared to have been associated with Chhatra League in the past, but not currently,” she said.
Notably, on August 5, 2024, Sub-Inspector Santosh Chowdhury was killed during mob violence at Baniyachong Police Station, and his body was later hung from a tree. Nine others were killed earlier that day in police firing following clashes with protesters. A BBC Bangla report later alleged the officer was specifically targeted, though the report was subsequently withdrawn.