A popular restaurant owned by Bangladeshi actor Omar Sunny became the scene of a violent confrontation on Friday evening, leaving one patron seriously injured after an employee allegedly attacked customers with an array of weapons, including knives and iron rods.
The incident unfolded at approximately 8:00pm at the establishment in Aurangabad's Sadar Upazila, when Md Atiqur Rahman Khan arrived with four or five friends for dinner.
According to police reports and witness accounts, the group objected to alleged misconduct by staff members towards female diners. What began as a verbal dispute rapidly escalated into physical violence.
Restaurant employees reportedly armed themselves with an assortment of implements, including hammers, sharp knives, axes, shovels, bamboo sticks and chapati boards, before launching an assault on Atiqur and his companions. As the victims fled towards the main road in panic, one employee, identified as Md Imran, 24, allegedly pursued Atiqur and stabbed him in the back with a knife. Another assailant struck him with an iron rod, causing him to collapse onto the roadway. Witnesses claim cash was also stolen from the victim's pockets during the chaos.
Bystanders rushed the bloodied victim to Manikganj General Hospital, where his deteriorating condition necessitated an immediate transfer to Manikganj Medical College Hospital. He remains under treatment as of Saturday.
Atiqur's uncle, Md Khalilul Rahman Khan Badal, who was also injured in the fracas, has since filed a formal complaint at Manikganj Sadar Police Station, naming six individuals, including Imran, and seven others described as "unknown accused". Badal alleged that "a group of miscreants" had been harboured at the actor's restaurant and were permitted to harass female patrons without consequence.
The incident has drawn unwanted attention to Omar Sunny, a well-known figure in Bangladesh's entertainment industry whose public profile now finds itself entangled with a serious criminal case. When contacted, restaurant manager Kiran Khan stated he was absent during the altercation and unaware of developments.
Sunny, addressing the matter publicly, acknowledged that one of the accused, a young man named Likhon, had been hired temporarily to address staffing shortages. "When concerns were raised about his character, we warned those who had recommended him," Sunny explained. He attributed Likhon's actions to drug addiction but admitted bewilderment at the severity of the attack on a customer. The actor insisted he desires a thorough judicial process and confirmed he personally alerted local police and army personnel following the incident. Authorities reportedly secured a bond from Likhon at that time, though no formal arrests have yet been made.
Officer-in-Charge Md Ikram Hossain of Manikganj Sadar Police Station confirmed a case has been registered and that efforts to apprehend the accused are ongoing.
The episode has sparked debate on social media, where Sunny's supporters have distanced the actor from his employees' alleged actions, while critics question the vetting processes for staff at celebrity-owned businesses. For a public accustomed to seeing Sunny on screen, the violent events at his restaurant present a jarring contrast to the glamour of Dhallywood, underscoring how swiftly entertainment narratives can collide with harsh criminal realities.