Dhaka: The photographer was criticised, thrashed and eventually fired from his job for clicking a passionate young couple kissing in the rain.

According to reports, photojournalist Jibon Ahmed had posted the steamy picture on Facebook which soon went viral.

Jibon Ahmed had clicked the picture on the campus of the University of Dhaka, which witnessed a series of protests and violent incidents in recent months.

While the picture evoked positive reactions from several social media users in Bangladesh, Jiban had to bear the brunt for clicking what he called ''artistic photo''.

According to the Bangladesh News 18 website, Jibon was roughed up by fellow photographers and asked to surrender his ID and laptop, without giving him a reason, reports the Zee News.

Ahmed, on his part, claimed that the couple did not object to him taking the photograph, and refused to be a victim of moral policing in the Islamic country.

He told Washington Post that he was roaming around on the university campus when he spotted the couple ‘lip kissing’ in the rain and decided to click the young lovers.

However, his editor praised him for the ''artistic photograph'' and also vowed to take legal action against those who thrashed him.

Ahmed has, however, been ‘absent from office from July 24,’ Khujista Nur-e-Naharin, editor of the news portal Purboposhchimbd, was quoted as saying.