NHRC to provide legal support to mother and daughter publicly tortured in Chakoria

National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has appointed its panel lawyer AJM Mainuddin to provide legal support to a mother and her daughter who were among five persons tortured in broad daylight following a "cattle theft" incident at Harbang union in Cox's Bazar's Chakoria on Friday.

Two other members of the mother's family – a son and another daughter – and a third woman were also victims of the torture, footage and images of which went viral on social media and drew widespread outrage.

They are Parvin, her son Emran, 21, two daughters Selina Akhter Sheuli, 28 and Rozina Akhter, 23, and Chuttu, 27

The NHRC also instructed its lawyer to take legal action against the perpetrators for their barbaric behaviour, NHRC said in a release today.

In the release, NHRC Chairperson Nasima Begum said human rights of the mother and the daughter have been severely violated through this incident and the rights body will stand beside the two women.

"The barbaric incident has not only humiliated the two women; it has insulted the entire human race. No one can take the law in their own hands. If any crime is committed, law will take its own course," she said.

"Everyone involved in the incident should be handed exemplary punishment."

They were paraded through villages with their hands and waists tied.

The incident was orchestrated following alleged instructions of Harbang Union Parishad Chairman Miranur Islam.

Miranur, also the Awami League unit president of the union, himself allegedly beat them up.

Locals reportedly caught the five in Lalbridge area from a CNG-run auto-rickshaw around 1:00pm on Friday, suspecting that they stole a calf. They then beat them up, witnesses said.

Later, the five were taken to the union parishad premises where they were tortured by the union parishad chairman and village police for a second time around 5:00pm. The five were then handed over to Harbang police outpost.

They were later taken to Chakoria Upazila Health Complex. After primary treatment, they were brought to Chakoria Police Station.

One Mahbubul Haque of Bandabonkhil village filed a case against the five for cattle theft with the station on Friday night.

Chhuttu is from Cox's Bazar's Pekua and Parvin is from Chattogram's Patiya.

A Cox's Bazar court sent them to jail after police produced them before the court on Saturday, showing them arrested in the case.