Man arrested over mob assault on former CEC Huda, police vow action against vigilante justice

The DMP chief says such mob activity has now declined compared with two to four months ago

Police have arrested a man over the mob assault on former chief election commissioner KM Nurul Huda as Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) chief Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali vowed stringent action against vigilante justice.

Confirming the arrest on Tuesday, Commissioner Sazzat said the force is taking steps to prevent such incidents from recurring.

“We are not allowing mob justice,” he said at the DMP headquarters.

“One person has been arrested, and we are proceeding with legal action to ensure this doesn’t happen again. Such mob activity has now declined compared with two or four months ago.”

Although the DMP chief did not reveal the identity of the arrestee, Uttara police Deputy Commissioner Mohidul Islam said the man, identified by the single name Hanif, is a local leader of the BNP’s volunteer unit.

He was detained by the Army and handed over to police. Legal proceedings against him are underway, Mohidul said.

The assault incident occurred on Sunday evening, just six hours after Huda was named as a suspect in a case filed by the BNP over alleged election manipulation.

Around 7:30pm, a group of purported students and locals stormed his apartment in Dhaka’s Uttara area, pelted him with eggs, dragged him outside in a lungi and undershirt, and placed a garland of shoes around his neck before one individual struck him with a shoe. He was later handed over to police.

Footage streamed live on Facebook showed some uniformed police present at the scene while the assault occurred, prompting criticism of law enforcers’ inaction.

The interim government issued a statement pledging action against those responsible.

On Monday, a Dhaka court granted police four days to question Huda in custody over the allegations.

On Tuesday, Sazzat said police had already taken steps in similar past incidents involving theft and robbery, and some officers had faced disciplinary action for failing to act appropriately.

“Suspensions and other measures were taken against officers who didn’t make the right decisions,” he said.

He warned against unauthorised action in the name of catching suspects, saying such acts -- like forcibly entering someone’s home -- are unacceptable.

“If someone is a criminal, inform us. We will take legal action. No one has the right to take the law into their own hands. That’s our job,” he said. “If any officer fails to take action, I’ll ensure disciplinary measures are taken against them too.”