Shakib Al Hasan death threat case: Cricketer gets armed bodyguard as Bangladesh Home Minister promises strong action

Ace Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been provided armed bodyguards by security agencies, a day after Bangladesh Police arrested a man for allegedly issuing Islamist threats to Shakib for taking part attending a Hindu festival in India. Shakib was present in a Kali Puja pandal in Kolkata, India after which he received a death threat in an online forum.

The Bangladesh all-rounder had issued an apology for hurting sentiments following his visit to West Bengal for the inaugural ceremony of a Kali Puja pandal. A joint team of elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and police reportedly arrested Mohsin Talukdar for allegedly issuing an online death threat to Shakib after he attended the Hindu ceremony. 

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Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury has opined that the death threat is of a real concern while adding the nation’s apex board has opted to take immediate action. He further said that the BCB has also informed security agencies about the incident. 

As per a report, Shakib was accompanied by the armed bodyguard during a training session in Dhaka. 

Speaking to News18, the Bangladesh Home Minister asserted that threatening Shakib or anyone else is not a part of the nation's culture. “Expression of opinion is fine but not by threatening someone like this. I personally believe that anyone has the freedom to speak his heart. Anyone has the freedom to express his views but that does not mean someone will go against the law and treat someone like this," he said. 

"We all have the liberty to express our opinion but not the way the man (accused) has expressed it. I felt that it is an attack on someone’s freedom of speech and expression and we have a law to deal with it,” the minister added