NCP leader beaten at SSC centre over allegation of helping fiancée

Students at an SSC examination centre in Bhanga, Faridpur, beat up a local National Citizen Party (NCP) leader after he allegedly helped his fiancée during practical exams. The school's head teacher was also injured after being struck by a brick hurled by students during the protest.

The incident took place around 9:30 am on Thursday, June 11, at the Kazi Shamsunnnesa Girls' High School SSC examination centre in Bhanga. The NCP leader, Mohammad Ashraf Hossain, 28, is the convener of Bhanga upazila NCP and a resident of the Nurpur Mahalla area.

Witnesses said students boycotted the exam and brought out a protest procession on the school premises demanding Ashraf's arrest. The exam began around 11:30 am, nearly an hour and a half later. Ashraf was locked inside the head teacher's room for his safety. Police arrived at the scene, brought the situation under control, and rescued him.

According to parents and students, Ashraf arrived at the centre before the start of the biology practical exam. His fiancée was taking the exam at that centre, and he had been coming on each exam day to help her. On Thursday morning, Ashraf came to the centre with his fiancée. Students, including Sajid Islam, who were taking the exam in the same room, protested against him helping her. In response, Ashraf, identifying himself as an NCP leader, allegedly verbally abused and assaulted the students.

In protest, the students stopped taking the exam and came out. They chased Ashraf and threw brickbats at him, beating him. He took refuge in the centre secretary's room. When the head teacher and others tried to intervene, head teacher Arun Chandra Dutta and a student were injured by brick strikes.

Bhanga Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mizanur Rahman said Ashraf had exchanged wedding vows (anga badal) with the student and had been bringing her to and from the examination centre on each exam day. The trouble began when he entered the exam hall on Thursday. Police later rescued him.

NCP leader Ashraf gave a different account, claiming he was dropping his fiancée off at the exam hall when "some activists of Chhatra League who had come to take the exam teased her. When I protested, they attacked me."