Moulvibazar school students, guardians protest 'sexual harassment' by headmaster

Following allegation of sexual harassment by the headmaster of a school in Moulvibazar, students and guardians are staging protest in Juri upazila demanding punishment of the teacher.

“Sexual harassment” of students in this school is not new, the protesters said.  

Babul Ahmed Babul High School in Fultola area schools a large number of tea garden workers’ children mostly female students.

Human-chains were formed and processions were brought out in protest in Fultola area. Students of the school also did not attend classes in protest.

After a student was “sexually harassed” on Monday by Headmaster Jamal Uddin Selim, she filed a written complaint with the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Officer-in-charge of Juri Police Station yesterday.

“This incident has not just happened with this girl but many other female students have been sexually harassed. Most of the students in this school are female and if this goes on the school will shut down,” the correspondent quoted Mohammad Foyez Ali, Union Parishad chairman of ward No. 7in Fultola union as saying.

“Ninety five percent students come from tea workers’ families which may be the reason they did not protest earlier and just endured this harassment,” Foyez Ali said.

Jalal Uddin, officer-in-charge of Juri Police Station, said they received the allegation and after primarily talking to the victim it seems the incident is true.

Police are on the way to the school and further information will be known later.

However, the headmaster went into hiding after the incident surfaced.

Meanwhile, Shudhir Bakti, member of ward No. 6 who is leading the protest, said “The girls suffer from insecurity and we demand punishment of the headmaster.  We will continue the protest on Saturday also.”

Vice Chairman of Juri Upazila Kishore Roy Chowdhury Moni also claimed that the incident is true and the headmaster is behind other such incidents of sexual harassment.

Source: thedailystar