Youth Detained over 'Only a Sniper Was Missing' Comment on Prime Minister's RUET Bus in Rajshahi

The Special Response Battalion (SRB) has detained a youth who commented on Facebook that 'only a sniper was missing' in a post about the RUET bus that carried Prime Minister Tarique Rahman during his Rajshahi visit.

SRB-5 commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Faisal Ishtiaq confirmed the detention on Thursday morning, October 22. He said Abu Bakar had been detained and handed over to police.

Police have not yet given details about Abu Bakar, however. Nothing has been officially said about his full identity or where he was detained from.

The background to the incident is the prime minister's Rajshahi tour. On Tuesday, October 20, at around 3 p.m., Prime Minister Tarique Rahman landed at Rajshahi's Shah Makhdum Airport on a military aircraft.

From the airport, he entered Rajshahi city on a bus belonging to RUET. Riding the same bus, he joined a rally at the historic Madrasa field and visited the Dharmasava temple on the occasion of Durga Puja. He later returned to Shah Makhdum Airport on the same bus.

A Facebook page of RUET named 'The Beauty of Rajshahi' posted a photo of the bus used during the prime minister's visit. Its caption asked where the prime minister's red-and-green bulletproof bus was, why he was on a RUET bus instead, and whether the people of Rajshahi knew the reason.

In the comments under that post, an account named 'Abu Bakar Siddik' wrote words to the effect of: 'Ah! A big opportunity — only a sniper was missing.' BNP leaders expressed concern over the language and context of the comment.

After the comment spread on Facebook, law enforcement agencies moved into action. Officials said Abu Bakar was identified and then detained in an operation.

Rajshahi city BNP president Mamunur Rashid Mamun said such a comment about the prime minister was completely unacceptable. He said a proper investigation and bringing the person involved under the law were essential to protect peace, order and stability in the country.

Rajshahi Metropolitan Police (RMP) spokesperson Deputy Commissioner Gaziur Rahman said a person had made a comment on a Facebook page centred on the prime minister's Rajshahi visit that was extremely concerning, criminal and irresponsible. He said legal action would be taken after giving the matter due importance.

Now that the detained youth has been handed over to police, the next step will be to see under which provisions a case or legal action is taken against him. A detailed police statement would make the matter clearer.