A rickshaw puller was attacked by a group of individuals on Friday afternoon while attempting to pay his respects at Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence in Dhanmondi on the 49th anniversary of his assassination.
Azizur Rahman, a 42-year-old rickshaw puller from Ghorashal village in Jhenaidah, had come to Dhanmondi road 32 around 12:10pm carrying a bouquet of flowers. Attached to the bouquet was a note expressing his reverence for Sheikh Mujib.
As he reached there, a group of men surrounded him. Without warning, they began shouting, accusing him of ulterior motives. The confrontation quickly turned violent. Azizur was punched, slapped, and knocked to the ground in a brutal attack.
His rickshaw was overturned and left abandoned on the roadside as the assault unfolded. Bystanders filmed the incident, with footage rapidly spreading across social media.
Police eventually intervened, rescuing Azizur from the mob and taking him into protective custody. He was later released, though visibly shaken and bearing injuries from the attack.
“I am an ordinary rickshaw puller,” he said afterwards. “With my own honest, halal earnings, I have bought these flowers to pay tribute to Bangabandhu. I belong to no political party. I simply love the man who gave us our nation.”
He said, “I didn’t come here to bring back the Awami League or Sheikh Hasina. I came to honour Bangabandhu. That’s all.”
Azizur was not alone. Law enforcement officials confirmed that earlier that morning, several other civilians, including women, faced same fate at the same site.