Bangladesh Test cricketer claims police beat him with ‘sticks and pipes’; BCB is looking for a probe

Bangladeshi cricketer Nayeem Hasan claims he was assaulted by police personnel in Chattogram on Friday night while returning home from Dhaka.According to an ESPNCricinfo report, Nayeem was traveling in an autorickshaw near Lalkhan Bazar area after arriving from Dhaka airport. Nayeem said the policemen stopped the autorickshaw and behaved aggressively towards him. He claimed that the policemen grabbed him by the neck and tried to take him to the police station in another autorickshaw. Bystanders reportedly informed the police that Nayeem was a Bangladeshi international cricketer, but he said the officers ignored them.“I repeatedly told them who I am, but they refused to listen to me,” Nayeem told reporters. “The police beat me indiscriminately with sticks and plastic pipes. When I later presented myself at the police station, the senior officer told me to keep my eyes down when I spoke.”“If it was really the police, why did they try to put me in a CNG (car) instead of a police vehicle? I want a fair investigation and justice in the whole incident, he said, as quoted by Cricinfo.Nayeem was released in the early hours of Saturday and returned home.The incident drew reactions from several Bangladeshi cricketers on social media. Senior player Mushfiqur Rahim expressed support for Nayeem and called for an investigation.“What happened to Nayeem is absolutely unacceptable. I want a fair investigation into the incident. I am hurt and ashamed of what happened to Nayeem. I am protesting this incident as a citizen of Bangladesh. Nayeem, we are with you!”The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) also issued a statement on Saturday saying it expected a “thorough and impartial investigation” into the matter.“The Bangladesh Cricket Board expresses its deep concern over the reported incident involving the harassment and abuse of Bangladesh national cricket team player Nayeem Hasan by some members of the law enforcement agencies in Chattogram on Friday evening,” the BCB statement said. “The board strongly condemns unacceptable and inappropriate behavior towards a player and takes the matter with the utmost seriousness. Such treatment of a national athlete is deeply regrettable and requires immediate attention.”“The BCB expects a thorough and impartial investigation into the incident and urges the relevant authorities to take appropriate action against those found responsible.”Nayeem has been named in Bangladesh’s 15-man squad for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe later this month. The off-spinner has played 14 Tests for Bangladesh since his debut in 2018.