A video showing a woman being kicked and shoved while being escorted by police at Rajbari Cloth Market has gone viral. The incident occurred on Saturday, 29 August, and the footage began circulating on Sunday, raising questions over how she was assaulted in front of police officers.
The video shows a female officer leading the woman by the hand, followed by two male officers. A young man kicks her before an officer moves him away. Another man then kicks her, followed by a third person shoving her. Police had reportedly taken the woman into protective custody amid tensions at the market.
The woman, who has operated a shop on the third floor of Kaderia Market for 12 years, was in dispute with a female employee who planned to open her own shop. She said the employee announced on 15 July that she would leave due to her mother’s illness. On 22 August, the owner learned she was allegedly working elsewhere, told her not to return and asked her to collect her salary on 10 September. She later alleged that her shop was attacked over the employee’s wages and that market leaders discouraged her from filing a case.
On Saturday, after market leader Abdul Aziz Mondol said he could not resolve the dispute, more than 100 women accompanying the owner held a procession inside Kaderia Market. The owner alleged traders attacked them. Traders then closed their shops for around two hours, demanded action against her and marched to Rajbari Police Station.
The former employee denied the allegations, saying she had given two months’ notice and opened her own shop. She accused the owner of pressuring her to engage in “immoral activities” and threatening her after she refused. Traders’ Welfare Association convener Benazir Ahmed said no complaint was filed but traders decided the woman would no longer be allowed to do business there. Additional SP Md. Shamsul Haque said police had not viewed the video and would act if the woman filed a complaint.
Source: bdnews24