Man beaten to death for ‘hurling stones’ at cement truck

A man was beaten to death for allegedly throwing stones at a cement factory truck in Narayanganj's Siddhirganj upazila early yesterday.

The victim, identified as Sajjad Hossain, 30, was the son of Kamal Hossain, a poultry vendor from Noyapara in Adamjee. Sajjad, the eldest of four siblings, had dropped out of school after class nine.

Additional Superintendent of Police Md Hasinuzzaman told reporters that the incident took place at Crown Cement's ready-mix concrete plant in Adamjee.

"Sajjad reportedly hurled stones at a truck of Crown Cement around 3:30am, breaking its windscreen. After that the truck driver, his assistant, and several workers on night duty caught him and took him inside the factory. They tortured him throughout the night."

The factory workers later took Sajjad to Narayanganj 300-bed Hospital, where doctors declared him dead, the police official added.

"Although the worker had claimed Sajjad was a mugger, we found no such evidence. This is a clear case of murder, and we're investigating accordingly. If the victim's family files a case, we'll initiate legal procedure," said the police official.

Sajjad's uncle, Al Amin Hossain, said his nephew was mentally unwell and often roamed the streets late at night. "The Crown Cement factory is just a ten-minute walk from our house. Everyone in the area knows about Sajjad's condition. Last night, he might have thrown stones at one of the factory trucks near the Eidgah road. For that, they [the driver, his assistant, and several workers] dragged him inside their factory and beat him to death."

"He was not a mugger. Everyone knows his condition. He couldn't even be kept at home; he would just wander around. They killed him for nothing," Al Amin, a tea seller, told The Daily Star.

Family members said they were not aware of the incident until the morning. A friend of Sajjad informed them that he had been beaten to death.

Police later recovered the body and detained at least 10 workers of the factory, including the truck driver, his assistant, and security guards, for interrogation.