An assistant teacher at a government primary school in Kaliganj upazila of Jhenaidah was hospitalised on Tuesday after being beaten by locals over allegations that he sexually harassed a fourth‑grade student.
The teacher, Shah Alam of Boro Baisa Government Primary School, was taken into police custody and is receiving treatment at Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital.
According to school sources and locals, headmaster Pear Mohammad was informed on Monday that a fourth‑grade student had allegedly been sexually harassed. He visited the student’s home to investigate.
The student’s mother alleged that Shah Alam had been giving her daughter Tk10 daily for lunch for two weeks. She further claimed that on Monday he asked the girl to go to the washroom, after which she became frightened, returned home, and told her parents that the teacher had harassed her in various ways.
After the headmaster returned to school, 10 to 12 outsiders including the student’s uncle Sourav Sarkar and a man named Babu allegedly entered his office and severely beat Shah Alam.
“We rescued Shah Alam and pushed the outsiders out of the office, but they took position in front of the school and attempted repeated attacks,” Pear Mohammad said.
He added that Shah Alam had joined the school three months earlier after completing his Primary Training Institute (PTI) training, and no student had previously made such allegations against him.
Sukhdeb Biswas, president of the school’s managing committee, said he could not visit the student’s home but later heard about the allegation.
Sourav Sarkar, the student’s uncle who allegedly led the assault, said, “I heard from my sister‑in‑law that the teacher had touched my niece. We went to the school the next morning, and locals beat the teacher.”
Shah Alam denied the allegations from his hospital bed.
“I came to school and suddenly heard that I had allegedly done such a thing. Shortly after the headmaster returned from the student’s house, ten to twelve people beat me up. I am a teacher; how could I behave inappropriately with my students? I have a good relationship with them, and I never imagined anyone would make such an allegation against me,” he said.
Kabir Hossain, officer‑in‑charge of Kaliganj Police Station, said locals had confined Shah Alam at the school before police took him into custody for questioning.
“He fell ill, and after performing an ECG, we sent him to Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital for better treatment,” the OC added.
A case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act is being processed against the teacher.
Kaliganj Upazila Executive Officer Rezwana Nahid said police had informed her about the incident. “Upon reaching the spot, I learned that ten to twelve people had beaten and confined the teacher. Locals alleged that the teacher harassed a student. We have ordered an investigation into the allegations against him,” she said.
