Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad leader 'beats up' students in Rangpur school

Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangshad (Bangladesh Democratic Student Council) leader has been accused of beating up fifty students of a secondary school.

The accused, Imtiaz Ahmed Imti, the convenor of the organisation’s Rangpur city committee, is also the convenor of the school’s management committee.

Victim students and their parents complain that while visiting the school recently, he became furious with the students who had failed after hearing their results from the half-yearly exams. He then entered three classrooms one after another and mercilessly beat around fifty students there.

The incident occurred at Harati High School in Rangpur city on September 4. Once the matter of students being beaten spread, outraged parents rushed to the school and expressed their anger.

According to victim students and their guardians, more than fifty students were beaten that day, among whom 10 to 15 fell ill. One of the victims, Irene Akter, had to be admitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital for two days due to fever and pain, said her mother Dulali Begum.

Talking to students, parents, and locals, it was learnt that the incident caused a stir. Two days later, angry parents and locals went to the school demanding an explanation and justice from the headmaster. The guardian of one of the victims also lodged a general diary (GD) with Parshuram police station in Rangpur city.

However, the headmaster has not taken any legal action yet even though 18 days had passed since then. The headmaster and the accused, Imtiaz Ahmed, claimed they have settled the matter. But the upazila education officer has said that corporal punishment of students is completely prohibited, and he had not been informed of the matter.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Parshuram police station, Maidul Islam, said that Imtiaz had gone to the school as the chairman to discipline the students. In connection to the incident, a guardian filed a GD online, and police were sent to the school.

Rangpur upazila secondary education officer Abdul Hai said: “There is no scope for physical punishment of students in educational institutions. It is prohibited. The headmaster did not inform me of the incident. I am now investigating and taking action.”

According to locals and school sources, Imtiaz Ahmed, a student of a private university, became convenor of the school’s ad hoc committee last February while he was convenor of the Rangpur city committee of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. After that committee was dissolved, he became convenor of the Rangpur city committee of Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangshad on July 18.