Jagannath University (JnU) students detained and handed over Professor Farid Ahmed of Jahangirnagar University’s Philosophy Department to police on Thursday for allegedly assisting in an attack on students during the anti-discrimination student movement at JU in July. Farid was detained on the JnU campus around 11:30 am before being handed over to the Kotwali police station.  “We recognised him when he arrived on our campus this morning,” said Tawhid Islam, a student of the JnU Philosophy Department. “There is a case against him for his role in the attack on students, and we handed him over to the police.” Enamul Haque, Officer-in-Charge of Kotwali Police Station, confirmed the  matter saying students detained him on the campus and handed him over to us.   “A case was filed against him at Ashulia police station for his suspected involvement in the attacks on Jahangirnagar University students. He is currently in our custody. Ashulia Police Station may arrest him, or we can arrest him and produce him to the court if we receive orders from higher authorities.” Read: Students in Rajshahi hand over Tk 18 lakh found on the street to police Farid Ahmed faces allegations of aiding Chhatra League's attack on protesting students on July 15, followed by a police assault two days later. Sajjadul Islam, a JU English Department student, filed the case with Ashulia police station, naming then-Vice Chancellor Nurul Alam as the main accused. He was listed as the seventh accused for his alleged role in the attacks. Read more: HC orders MP Salam Murshedy to hand over Gulshan house to govt

Primary and secondary levels students in rural Bangladesh face manifold challenges in continuing their education and shortage of teachers is one of those that hampers regular their academic activities. Like many other places in the country, the academic activities at 366 government primary schools have been hampered seriously in absence of head teachers. There are 1,240 government primary schools in nine upazilas of the district and the posts of headmaster at 366 schools are lying vacant, according to District Education Office. Among these, assistant teachers have been working as acting head teacher at 234 schools but the rest schools have been operating without headmasters. Meanwhile, the assistant teachers who were performing the roles of head teacher are not getting the facilities the headmasters usually get and there is no one to look into it, forcing the teachers to continue their additional work with frustration. Nurjahan Begum, who recently got the responsibility of headmaster at Korimer Khamar Government Primary School in Sadar upazila, said “We have been performing our duties amid frustration.” During a recent visit to Muktaram Government Primary School in Sadar upazila, this correspondent found that the headmaster post of the school has been lying vacant for the past two years following the death of its headmaster. Read more: Teacher shortage hits govt primary schools in Cumilla hard Since then, no one has been appointed and no assistant teacher was made headmaster. A senior teacher of the school is performing the duty of the headmaster. Besides, five assistant teachers are available instead of nine which also hamper the academic activities, said an assistant teacher of the school, Nazneen Rebeka Sultana. Expressing dissatisfaction, Anwarul Islam, president of Muktaram Government Primary School managing committee, said “We have sent letters to the authorities concerned seeking fulfillment of the vacant posts but yet to get any response.” Read more: Gazette in six months to change names of 200 govt primary schools: State Minister Principal Salauddin Rubel, General Secretary of District Swadhinota Sikkhok Porishad (Swaship), said “The academic activities of different primary schools are facing setback due to manifold problems including shortage of teachers. The situation of primary schools in Char areas is fragile.” District Primary Education Officer Shahidul Islam, said the problem will be resolved as the higher authorities have been informed.  

An assistant teacher of a secondary high school in Sadar upazila of the district has been temporarily suspended for physically harassing a female student. Locals, guardians and civil society formed a human chain and staged a broom procession in front of the school on Tularam-Sheikhhati road demanding the suspension, as well as exemplary punishment for the accused teacher, forcing the authorities to act on Tuesday. Read more: Number of complaints over sexual harassment at workplaces very poor: Speakers Speakers included Assistant Prof Ramesh Chandra Adhikary, Awami League leaders Asim Kumar Pal and Biproda Proshanna Mallick, and former health officer Sudir Kumar Pal. They alleged that the accused teacher, Sukanta Kumar Goswami, had been physically harassing and teasing female students in the name of teaching. In the afternoon of January 18, the teacher called a female student to an isolated room on the first floor of the school and harassed her physically. Later, the victim shared the matter with her friends and mother. Goswami again harassed her on the pretext of dropping her home when she was returning after getting vaccinated for Covid-19.   The now disgraced teacher even threatened to make her fail in her exams when she raised her voice against the incidents. Rabindranath Mandal, headmaster of the school, said her mother filed a complaint in writing against the teacher on January 22. Later, the issue was informed to Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Upazila Education officer, he said. Headmaster Mandal said a five-member committee headed by the School Managing Committee’s Member Ratan Bhowmick was formed and asked to submit its report within seven working days. Read more: Ctg headmaster suspended over ‘sexual harassment’ of female students Necessary measures will be taken in this connection after getting the report, he said, adding that Goswami was temporarily suspended. UNB managed to reach Goswami, who defended himself by saying that his opponents had hatched a conspiracy to disgrace him socially. He denied any involvement in the alleged incidents.

A madrasha teacher was detained on charge of raping a seven-old-year girl in Fatikchhari upazila of Chattogram district on early Tuesday. The detainee is identified as Md Hanif, 27, an Arabic teacher of Jamirul Ulum Islami Madrasha and son of Abul Kalam of Patachhara village in Ramgarh upazila of Khagrachhari district. Locals said the victim, a second-grader of a government primary school in Guardpara village under Bhujpur Police Station of the Fatikchhari upazila, went to the accused for Arabic studies at the madrasha on Monday afternoon where he raped her in the absence of other students. The victim shared the matter with her guardians after returning home. Read: Madrasa girl raped inside school in Gazipur, case filed Motaher Hossain, a sub-inspector of Bhujpur Police Station, said the locals handed the accused over to Datmara Police Investigation Centre after catching from the madrasha around 2am. The rape survivor was admitted to One-Stop-Crisis Centre of Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for treatment, he adding that no case is yet to register in this connection

A madrasa teacher was sued in a case filed over the rape of a third-grader in Shalikha upazila of the district on Saturday.The accused is Israel Mollah, 55, an assistant teacher of Bahar Bag Abediya Dakhil Madrasa of Magura Sadar Upazila.A case was filed at Shalikha police in this regard following a complaint lodge by the victim's mother Faziron Begum, said Bisharul Islam, officer-in-charge of the police station.According to the case statement, the 8-year-old victim went to Israel's house to bring fish kept in his fridge on Friday noon. Read: 5 get death sentence for raping teenage girl in KhulnaTaking advantage of an empty house, Israel took the girl to his room and raped her. Later, the victim’s mother filed a complaint over the matter, added the statement.

Fire service members recovered the body of a 45-year old primary school teacher on Thursday from the Tangon River in Thakurgaon sadar upazila after he went missing while crossing the river by swimming. The deceased was identified as Tailakkha Barman, assistant teacher of South Bathina Islam Para Government Primary School. His body was recovered around 1:30 pm from near Kazirghat area, eight kilometers off the spot where he drowned on Wednesday, said Md Sarwar Hossain, warehouse inspector of Thakurgaon fire service and civil defence. A diving team from Rangpur recovered his body, he said. Read: 2 children drown in Naogaon pond On Wednesday, Tailakkha Barman drowned in the river while swimming to return home after the school.   “He used to cross the river by a small boat twice everyday to reach the school and return. On Wednesday as the boat was not available he decided to swim,” said Abu Bakkar Siddiki, president of the school committee. 

Police arrested a madrasa teacher from Daganbhuiyan upazila in Feni for alleged sexual assault on an eight-year old male student on Thursday. The teacher was identified as Mowlana Abdul Jalil,21, resident teacher of Kawmi and Hafezia Madrasa in Bhabanipur village in Rajapur union. “The accused teacher has been on the crime for a long time. Recently the student refused to go back to the madrasa after the vacation ended. As his parents inquired, he informed them of the matter, “ said Joynal Abedin Mamun, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Rajapur. Md Hasan Imam, officer-in-charge of Daganbhuiyan police station said the teacher was arrested after a case was filed by the student’s father with police. “The man used to threaten to beat the boy and swear by religion to force upon him. He has been jailed by the court and the boy has been sent to hospital for medical tests,” said the OC.    

Education Minister Dipu Moni on Sunday said assault on a college principal allegedly by Awami League lawmaker from Rajshahi-1 constituency Omar Faruk Chowdhury has embarrassed her much. The minister said this while replying to a question from journalists at the secretariat after the announcement of the new schedule for the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and its equivalent examinations. “We don’t have the authority to take action against a parliament member. But we may go the parliament speaker, if needed after getting the probe report over the incident,” she said. Also read: Rajshahi MP, college principal trash media report on assault on teacher by MP On July 7, MP Omar Faruk allegedly physically assaulted Principal of Rajabari Degree College Selim Reza, according to different media reports. The next day, National University formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident. However, on July 14, Omar Faruk Chowdhury and principal Selim Reza both trashed the media reports at a press conference held at the MP’s political office in presence of Abdul Awal Raju, principal of Matikata Degree College and others. Selim Reza said Abdul Awal had called him to visit MP Faruk’s office where he found seven other principals and vice-principals of different colleges after reaching. “Later an altercation began among us over forming principal forum committee and other internal issues.” “MP Omar Faruk had to intervene to stop us, nothing else happened that day,” he said. Also read: SSC, equivalent exams to begin on September 15: Dipu Moni MP Omar Faruk said a syndicate provided false information to create issues and different media presented distorted version the incident of clash among the college teachers. “I mainly called them to exchange Eid greetings but they locked into an argument and principal Selim and Abdul Awal attacked each other which I had to stop,” he added.

Awami League lawmaker from Rajshahi-1 Omar Faruk Chowdhury and principal of Rajabari Degree College Selim Reza both have trashed  the media reports on assault on the principal by the MP. They held a press conference in the city on Thursday after different newspapers ran reports over the incident, sparking criticism across the country. The press conference was held at political office of MP Omar Faruk Chowdhury in Rajshahi city in presence of principal Selim Reza and Abdul Awal Raju, principal of Matikata Degree College. Selim Reza said,” Abdul Awal had called me to visit MP Faruk’s office on July 7 where I found  seven other principals and vice-principals of different colleges after reaching there.  Later an altercation began among us over forming principal forum committee and other internal issues.” “MP Omar Faruk had to intervene to stop us, nothing else happened that day,” he said. MP Omar Faruk said a syndicate provided false information to create issues and different media presented distorted version the incident of clash among the college teachers. “I mainly called them to exchange Eid greetings but they locked into argument and principal Selim and Abdul Awal attacked each other which I had to stop,” he added. Read: Barishal college teacher assaulted by ‘JCD leader’ The ruling party lawmaker allegedly physically assaulted Principal Selim Reza on Tuesday, according to different media reports.   Later, National University formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident on Wednesday. 

A Dhaka court on Thursday placed Ashraful Ahsan Jitu, the prime accused in college teacher Utpal Kumar Sarkar murder case, on a 5-day remand.  Dhaka Senior Judicial Magistrate Rajib Hasan passed the order when he was produced before the court. Emdadul Haque, sub-inspector of Ashulia Police Station and investigating officer of the case, sought a 10-day remand for Jitu. READ: Rape on moving bus in Savar: 5 put on remand Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) handed over Jitu to Ashulia police Thursday afternoon. He was detained from Sripur of Gazipur on Wednesday evening by the elite force. On Tuesday, police arrested Jitu’s father Ujjal from Kushtia’s Kumarkhali. A Dhaka court on Wednesday put him on a 5-day remand.  Utpal Kumar Sarkar, a teacher of Haji Yunus Ali School and College in Savar’s Ashulia  who suffered critical injuries allegedly after Jitu, a 10th grader of the same educational institution,  beat him up with a cricket stump in Savar, died at Enam Medical College and Hospital in the early hours of Monday.