The High Court on Tuesday directed Shahjalal Rumi, the father of a seven-year-old girl who was allegedly sexually harassed at a madrasah in Tongi, Gazipur, to surrender before a Gazipur court within four weeks in a case filed over the assault of a teacher and vandalism at the institution.

The High Court bench of Justice Md Salim and Justice Md Asif Hasan passed the order after Rumi appeared before it seeking anticipatory bail.

Lawyers Mahbubur Rahman Khan, Bellal Hossain and Ruhul Amin Mollah (Hasan) represented Rumi during the hearing.

On October 24, madrasah principal Mohammad Almas Hossain filed a case against Rumi and 14 others, accusing them of entering Qari-ul-Quran International Madrasah at Tongi, assaulting a teacher, vandalising the office and looting Tk 17 lakh.

Rumi filed an application with the High Court on October 26 seeking anticipatory bail.

Meanwhile, a Gazipur court on October 25 turned down the bail petition filed by Moslem Ahmed, the vice-principal of the madrasah, in a case filed over the alleged sexual harassment of a Class-I girl.

The girl's father, Rumi, filed the case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, accusing the teacher of sexually abusing his daughter.

According to the family, the alleged incident took place on the ground-floor staircase of the madrasa on October 19.

The girl reportedly refused to attend the madrasah after the incident and later disclosed what had happened to her parents when they asked her about it.

On October 21, the girl's relatives went to the madrasah and confronted the teacher, demanding an explanation. As news of the incident spread, local people gathered at the institution and physically assaulted the teacher. A video of the incident later went viral on Facebook.

On information, police rushed to the spot and took the teacher to the police station.