CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh — Three police personnel, including a sub-inspector, were withdrawn from active duty and attached to the police lines on Saturday following allegations that they assaulted and harassed national team cricketer Nayeem Hasan in Chittagong. The incident has triggered widespread condemnation from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), the Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB), and several of Nayeem’s high-profile teammates.
Nayeem, a right-arm off-spinner for the Bangladesh national cricket team, was traveling home in a motorized three-wheeler (autorickshaw) late Friday night after arriving in the port city from Dhaka, where he had been playing in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League (DPL).
According to Nayeem, the confrontation began at approximately 10:20 p.m. in the Lalkhan Bazar area of Chittagong, shortly after his vehicle exited the city’s elevated expressway. On-duty police personnel signaled the autorickshaw to pull over and subsequently engaged in aggressive behavior toward the driver and Nayeem. Despite Nayeem disclosing his identity as an international athlete representing Bangladesh, the officers allegedly pulled him out of the vehicle and physically assaulted him before detaining him at the Khulshi Police Station, where he faced further harassment.
Speaking to journalists in Chittagong shortly after his release on Friday night, Nayeem expressed profound humiliation over the encounter:
“What happened to me is completely unacceptable. I play for the country and represent Bangladesh on the international stage, yet my identity was completely ignored. I was pulled out of a regular autorickshaw, beaten on the street, and then subjected to further harassment inside the Khulshi Police Station. As both a citizen and an international athlete, I feel deeply humiliated by the actions of these law enforcement officers.”
— Nayeem Hasan, Bangladesh national team cricketer, addressing reporters in Chittagong on the night of June 12, 2026.
The incident sparked intense outrage across Bangladesh’s cricketing community. Prominent national team players utilized social media to voice their solidarity with Nayeem and demand accountability. Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim called the assault “completely unacceptable” and stated that the incident left him feeling “pained and ashamed” as a Bangladeshi citizen. National Twenty20 captain Litton Das described the ordeal as “deeply alarming” and “heartbreaking,” while fast bowler Taskin Ahmed also publicly condemned the security forces’ actions.
In response to growing public and institutional backlash, senior officials within the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) moved swiftly on Saturday morning to discipline the personnel involved.
Addressing the media during a press briefing at the CMP headquarters on June 13, 2026, a senior administrative official confirmed the punitive actions and announced the launch of a formal investigation:
“The Chittagong Metropolitan Police maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding unprofessional conduct and the harassment of citizens. Immediately upon learning of the unacceptable incident involving national cricketer Nayeem Hasan, the department took swift administrative action. The responsible sub-inspector and two accompanying police personnel have been officially withdrawn from Khulshi Police Station and attached to the police lines. A formal departmental inquiry committee has been constituted to investigate the matter thoroughly, and strict disciplinary actions will be implemented based on its findings.”
— A representative of the Chittagong Metropolitan Police, during an official administrative press briefing in Chittagong on June 13, 2026.
The BCB has formally requested a comprehensive investigation into the assault, emphasizing that the safety and dignity of national athletes must be upheld both on and off the field.
