Ishwardi headmaster acquitted as witnesses finally retract
A Pabna court on Monday acquitted the headmaster of Basherbanda Bohumukhi High School in Ishwardi upazila of charge of sexual harassment to a girl student of the school.
Additional District Magistrate Md Rezaul Karim acquitted headmaster Shamsul Islam as the charge against him could not be proved.
Receiving a complaint from some teachers of the school, Police caught Shamsul Islam from the school premises on July 10 on charge of sexual harassment to a class seven student inside the classroom at around 10:30am on the day.
They produced the headmaster, the girl and three teachers of the school in a mobile court led by Ishwardi Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Zakir Hossain in the afternoon.
The girl described the sexual harassment to the court while the teachers gave their statements as witnesses to the incident. On the basis of their statements, the mobile court sentenced the headmaster to four months' imprisonment.
Challenging the action of the mobile court, Shamsul Islam appealed to the Additional District Magistrate's Court that granted him bail on July 15. As the witnesses retracted their statements during the final hearing of the case on Monday, the court acquitted the headmaster of sexual harassment charge.
On July 11, locals and present and former students of the school staged demonstration and forced closure of the school activities protesting harassment of the innocent headmaster.
The school managing committee suspended five teachers, including the assistant headmaster of the school, on July 15 on charge of conspiring against the headmaster.
Contacted, Md Bashir Ahmed Bakul, chairman of the managing committee, said investigation against the suspended teachers is going on. “Next steps against the teachers will be taken as per report of the investigation committee,” he added.
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