A 55-year-old bus driver was beaten to death by a group of youths allegedly for protesting at stalking of his daughter in the Talaimari Shahid Minar area in Rajshahi city on Wednesday night.
The deceased is Akram Hossain, son of late Azad Ali of Talaimari Shahid Minar area.
Mukti Begum, wife of the deceased, said that their neighbour Md Nantu, 28, often used to beat his wife in public.
鈥楢 few days ago, while Nantu was beating his wife again, my husband tried to intervene to protect the woman and at one point, Nantu sustained a minor injury,鈥� she said, adding, 鈥楽ince then, Nantu along with his accomplices has been furious and started harassing our daughter who was taking the on-going Secondary School Certificate Examination.鈥�
Mukti Begum said that after Nantu verbally abused her daughter on Wednesday afternoon, Akram went to Nantu鈥檚 house in the evening and complained to his parents about the incident.
鈥楲ater at around 10:00pm, Nantu and his accomplices first attacked my son, Hasan Imam, near the Talaimari Shaheed Minar area,鈥� Mukti said, adding that on information when her husband rushed to save Hasan, Nantu and his accomplices also beat him.
聽Mukti said that her husband suffered serious injuries to his head as he was hit in the head by a brick.
Akram was taken to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries at about 11:00pm, she added.
鈥楳y daughter did not want to take the exam leaving her father鈥檚 body,鈥� Mukti Begum said, adding, 鈥楽he, however, went to take the exam crying.鈥�
She demanded that the killers be hanged.
Mostak Ahmmed, officer-in-charge of Boalia Model Police Station, said that Imam Hasan, son of the deceased bus driver, filed a murder case with the police station on Thursday noon against seven named and 4-5 unnamed people naming Nantu as the main accused.
The police said that they were trying to arrest the accused who went into hiding following the incident.
Family members, relatives, and local people, meanwhile, brought out a coffin procession with the body of Akram Hossain on Thursday afternoon demanding capital punishment for the killers.