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.”
“After Nayeem called me last night, the other board officials and I have tried to do whatever we could to help him. We are speaking to everyone concerned, and have been in close touch with Nayeem and his family too”
Tamim Iqbal
Nayeem was released in the early hours of Saturday and returned home.
The BCB said in a statement on Saturday morning that it expects a “thorough and impartial investigation” about the incident.
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board expresses its deep concern regarding the reported incident involving harassment and abuse of Bangladesh national team cricketer Nayeem Hasan by some law enforcing agency members in Chattogram on Friday evening,” the BCB statement said. “The board strongly condemns the unacceptable and inappropriate conduct displayed towards the player and views the matter with the utmost seriousness. Such treatment of a national athlete is deeply regrettable and warrants immediate attention.
“The BCB expects a thorough and impartial investigation into the incident and urges the relevant authorities to take appropriate action against those found responsible.”
“The BCB has issued a statement condemning the incident, and whatever needs to be done from here on will also be done by the board. We are always with Nayeem and other cricketers.”
The Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh has also demanded strict action against those involved in Nayeem’s alleged harassment.
