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Published : 05 Oct 2025, 11:14 AM
A mob has beaten a student of North South University over allegations of “insulting the Quran".
After nearly two hours of effort, police took Apurbo Pal into custody around 2:45am on Sunday and sent him to the hospital
Apurbo was apprehended from his own house in Dhaka’s Bashundhara Residential Area, Rakibul Hasan, chief of Vatara Police Station, said on Sunday morning.
"The student, who was beaten by a mob, is currently receiving treatment at [Dhaka Medical College Hospital]. A decision on whether legal action will be taken against him will be made at a later time."
On Saturday night, a video began spreading on Facebook with different posts claiming that Apurbo had insulted the Quran. His Facebook post was shared and demands for his arrest grew louder. A group of agitated people then began to gather outside Apurbo's house around 1am on Sunday.
Vatara police attempted to go to the house and take him into custody when the incident was reported. Police initially requested the support of those who had gathered in the area to take Apurbo into custody. They agreed.
When police detained Apurbo and attempted to take him to the police station, the agitated crowd began beating him. When the police tried to calm the mob, they grew angry at the law enforcers. The situation went out of control and additional police personnel were called to the scene.
Around 2:30am, Vatara Sub-Inspector Kamruzzaman said: “We tried to take him into custody. But it was not possible due to the size of the crowd and their obstructions. Afterwards we increased the size of the force and attempted to bring him out.”
Police were eventually able to take Apurbo into custody around 2:45am as people attempted to beat him.
OC Rakibul said, "We have found evidence in several videos on his Facebook ID of him disrespecting the Quran after the incident was reported. But when we went to detain him, we faced an agitated mob.”
Apurbo lived with his family at the house and the family is now safe, he said.
“We have learnt that he is a student in his eighth semester. But we are not sure which department he is in.”
When contacted, Md Naqib Hasan, a spokesman for North South University, declined to comment on the matter.
Repeated attempts were also made to contact Faizullah Wasif, assistant director of the university's Public Relations Office, but there was no response.
According to Asif Bin Ali, a lecturer at NSU’s Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, said Apurbo had previously been expelled from the university.
On Sunday morning, he told bdnews24.com: "Apurba Pal, a student of North South University, was a Muslim convert. He was my student. Towards the end of 2023, he converted to Islam, changed his name, and practiced the religion regularly. He attended my class wearing a robe and a turban.
"Unfortunately, the boy later became addicted to drugs and lost his mental control in early 2024, often behaving strangely on campus. He would go to the NSU and Bashundhara mosques and scold people for not wearing a skullcap or not covering themselves in clothes that reached their ankles. He got into trouble with several boys and girls of different religions on campus over these things. His elderly mother tried hard to help him recover, but she was unable to. In 2024, he was expelled from North South University for drug addiction and abnormal behaviour."
Asif continued, "If I'm not mistaken, the university authorities gave him a chance to enrol again in consideration of his mental health condition and the struggles of his family. But unfortunately, neither the boy's drug addiction nor his mental issues were properly treated.
"What he did, he did in a state of mental illness. The act is very wrong and despicable. But this is not a large conspiracy, it is the work of a person with mental illness. Everyone who knew him at the university knows this. The most important thing now is to send him to a rehabilitation centre quickly."
Commenting that Apurbo should be punished for insulting religion, Asif said: "Apurba undoubtedly insulted the Quran. According to the country's Penal Code, such an act is a crime similar to inciting communal violence. Therefore, he deserves punishment. However, punishment alone will not fix it. He also needs treatment for his mental health problems and drug addiction.
"Some people are trying to prove Apurbo is a Hindu; it is misleading and unwelcome. Apurba is not a Hindu, he is a converted Muslim and he should be tried as a Muslim for insulting the Quran. Considering the reality of his Muslim identity, necessary action should be taken against him according to the law of the country. Targeting the entire Hindu community for the crime of one person is wrong."
