Teacher’s humiliation: N’ganj School committee dissolved amid protests [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Teacher’s humiliation: N’ganj School committee dissolved amid protests

Local May 20, 2016

The education ministry on Thursday dissolved the Piyar Sattar Latif High School management committee in Narayanganj and reinstated its head teacher Shyamal Kanti Bhakta, who was humiliated by the local lawmaker in public and suspended by the committee on allegation of hurting religious sentiment of the Muslims.
The probe committee, formed by the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education, in primary investigation, did not find authenticity of the allegation against Shyamal.
The local lawmaker, AKM Selim Osman, claimed that he did not force the teacher to go up and down holding the ears on May 13, but the ‘crazy teacher’ willingly did it after being beaten by a mob.
The teacher, however, rejected the lawmaker’s claim and alleged that Selim slapped him four times in the face and forced him to go up and down holding the ears for 10 times.
Lawmaker Selim Osman along with local people subjected the teacher to the humiliation on May 13 after mob beating. The locals were mobilised through an announcement from a local mosque that Shyamal made ‘offensive comments about religion’ while meting out corporal punishment to a student on May 8.
A video clip that showed Selim Osman and others to humiliate the teacher went viral on social media
and drew widespread criticism, which also continued on Thursday as teachers of public universities across the country formed human chain on the campuses protesting humiliation of the teacher.
The education minister, Nurul Islam Nahid, at a press conference at the International Mother Language Institute in Dhaka said, ‘We are dissolving the school managing committee and reinstating the head teacher…The suspension of the headmaster was illegal as the managing committee meeting did not follow the rules and regulations.’
The ministry also formed a new management committee headed by Narayanganj deputy commissioner Anisur Rahman Miah.
Nahid said that the primary investigation did not find authenticity of the allegation against the teacher of ‘hurting religious sentiment’ but ‘injustice has been done with him’.
Replying to a query, Nahid said the role of Jatiya Party lawmaker Selim Osman and Bandar upazila education officer AKM Nurul Amin in the incident would be thoroughly examined and measures would be taken in line with High Court order.
The High Court on Wednesday asked the government to report in three days about actions taken against Selim Osman and his accomplices.
The teachers at public universities across the country formed human chains on the campuses on Thursday protesting at the teacher’s humiliation. They demanded exemplary punishment of the perpetrators. They also demanded that lawmaker Selim Osman be removed from parliament.
Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers Association took the programme. Dhaka University teachers formed an hour-long human chain at in front of Aparajeya Bangla.
Federation president Farid Ahmed said, ‘Salim Osman has lost his moral rights to continue as a member of parliament, so his parliament membership should be cancelled and he must be removed from the parliament.’
Bangladesh Chhatra Federation and a faction of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front brought out processions and held rallies at the Dhaka University on the same demand.
Teachers at Jagannath University, Comilla University and Rajshahi University also formed human chains.
Ruling Awami League joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif told reporters in Kushtia on Thursday that they urged Selim to apologise to the teacher and the nation.