The mosque khatib, who was hacked with a sharp weapon after Jumma prayers on July 11 in Chandpur, is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the capital.

Maulana ANM Nur Rahman Madani, the khatib at the Professor Para Molla Bari Mosque in Chandpur municipality, was initially admitted to Chandpur General Hospital, where he received 12 stitches for the head wound near his ear, said the police.

Later, on Friday night, he was transferred to Dhaka for advanced treatment due to his critical condition.

The incident has sparked widespread condemnation on social media and in local communities, with calls for a thorough investigation into the motive behind the attack.

Amid the tensions, rumours spread on social media claiming that the injured khatib had passed away.

‘My father is now out of danger and is receiving treatment in Dhaka. I demand justice for the attacker,’ the victim’s eldest son Ahnaf Taki told New Age on Sunday.

He alleged that Billal Hossain attacked his father over a disagreement related to a religious discussion about the Prophet.

Chandpur model police station officer-in-charge Mohammad Bahrul said that the victim’s son filed a case against the accused, Billal Hossain, a raw material vendor from Bakultala, on Friday night.

‘The accused was arrested and later produced before the court, where his confessional statement was recorded on Saturday,’ he said.

Neither the local police nor the victim’s son could ascertain whether the attacker had any political identity.