Bangladesh trail by 268 runs on the second day of the Sylhet Test

BanglaPress Desk: Students of Comilla University (CoU) assaulted two police officers from the Comilla Kotwali Model Police Station—mistaking them for impostors—before forcing them onto a bus and taking them to the university campus. A police informant was also assaulted and taken to the campus.

The incident occurred around 8:00 PM on Thursday (November 5) near the Comilla Police Lines and the Government Women’s College area. It was triggered by the search of two university students.

The affected individuals are Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Shyamal Saha and Constable Md. Hanif of the Comilla Kotwali Model Police Station, along with a police informant named Zahid.

According to police and university sources, on Thursday evening, Siyam and Orpo—students from the Department of Statistics (2023–24 academic session)—were walking along the road to catch a bus after finishing their private tutoring sessions. At that point, three individuals claiming to be police officers stopped and searched them. When the students asked to see their police identification cards, the individuals failed to produce any. Suspecting them to be fake police officers, a group of university students—who had gotten off a bus—assaulted them and forcibly dragged them onto the vehicle. The three men, including the two police officers, were beaten while being transported to the Comilla University campus and subsequently taken to the university proctor’s office. There, it was confirmed that two of them were indeed police officers and the third was their informant. In the presence of the university administration, police officials, faculty members, students, and journalists, both sides presented their accounts. A compromise was eventually reached between the parties.

Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Shyamal Saha, who was assaulted, stated, "We had asked the two students for their identification. Once they identified themselves as university students, we let them go and expressed our regret. Since we did not have our ID cards with us, we showed them our walkie-talkies and handcuffs. We also suggested that they verify our identities by contacting the officers currently on duty. However, they did not listen; instead, a mob formed, and they forcibly took us away."

Comilla University Proctor, Professor Dr. Mohammad Shahadat Hossain stated that an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) from the Kotwali Police Station, along with a constable and a police informant, were present with the students. They attempted to search the students, but when the students asked to see their identification, they failed to produce any. The authorities at the concerned police station have acknowledged this.

He noted that an altercation ensued between the two sides, after which the students brought the individuals onto the campus by force. Instead of forcibly bringing them there, the students should have informed the relevant authorities or the university administration. Likewise, the police personnel should have carried their identification documents. There were shortcomings on both sides. The matter was subsequently resolved after hearing from both parties.

Mostain Billah Ferdous, Assistant Superintendent of Police (Sadar South Circle) for the district police, remarked that the situation could have been resolved on the spot by contacting the police station or calling 999. Bringing police personnel onto the campus by bus is by no means appropriate. Since August 5, a lingering "mob culture" has persisted, and it is essential that we move beyond it.