Van-puller says Sylhet mayor hit him with stick, photo goes viral

Allegations have been made against the mayor of Sylhet City Corporation of hitting a van-puller with a stick over parking the van on the road.

In a photo that has gone viral on social media, the van-puller is seen standing beside the Sylhet mayor's vehicle on Sylhet's Zindabazar-Chowhatta Road with his palms stretched-out, while Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury is seen sitting in the front seat of his SUV with a raised cane.

The image also shows another man near the van-puller, also with a stick.

Saptarshi Das, former president of the Sylhet district unit of Bangladesh Students' Union, took the photo this afternoon and shared it on his social media account, reports our Sylhet correspondent.

Rubel Ahmed, the van-puller, said that the mayor hit his hand with the stick while the van was parked on the side of the road. An eyewitness and the photographer, Saptarshi, also confirmed the incident.

Rubel Ahmed told The Daily Star, "I left the van and went to deliver goods when the mayor came. He asked to remove the van and hit me with the stick."

"Beating anyone with a stick is not right," Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury said, denying the allegation. "I just threatened him [with the stick] to remove the van parked on the side of the road."

Saptarshi Das shared the photo on Facebook, prompting a barrage of criticism. In the background of the photo, some private cars were also seen parked on the side of the road.

Under the Facebook post, a netizen commented, asking what authority the mayor had to physically abuse someone. Someone also questioned why only working class people are punished, while private car drivers were not reprimanded.

Saptarshi said, "The incident took place around 1:50 pm. A cigarette company's van-puller in Shyamoli Market area pulled over to the side of the road and went somewhere to deliver the goods. The mayor's vehicle arrived at that point. When the van driver saw the mayor's vehicle, he rushed to get the van out of the way."

"Although some private cars were parked in front of Matrimangal Hospital, I did not see the mayor say anything to them," Saptarshi added.

Meanwhile, the mayor said, "I asked him to move because the van was parked on the side of the road. Despite the fact that I had a stick, I did not strike him. I just wanted to scare him."

"Those who have photographed and criticized the issue have their own agenda," he explained.