Rajshahi Jamaat leader expelled after arrest in child abuse case

Jamaat-e-Islami has expelled a local party member in Rajshahi after preliminary findings supported allegations that he sexually harassed a nine-year-old girl, party officials said on Monday (August 3).

The expelled member, Omar Faruk, 35, a full member of Jamaat's Ward No. 4 unit under Bargachhi Union in Paba upazila, is currently in judicial custody after being arrested in a case filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.

Bargachhi Union Jamaat chief Abdur Rahman Milon said the party decided to expel Faruk on grounds of "moral misconduct" after conducting an initial internal inquiry.

"Following the allegations, we spoke with the victim's family. Based on the preliminary findings, the party unanimously decided to expel him during a meeting of the upazila unit on Sunday, attended by union-level leaders," Milon said.

According to police and court documents, the alleged incident took place on July 12, when the child attended a private tutoring session at Faruk's residence, where he and his wife taught local students.

The complaint alleges that Faruk dismissed the other students before sexually harassing the girl while she was alone. After returning home, the child informed her mother, who later filed a criminal complaint.

Police arrested Faruk from his residence on Friday evening, and the victim's mother filed a case the same night under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.

He was produced before a court the following day, which ordered that he be sent to Rajshahi Central Jail pending further legal proceedings.

Faruk, a village practitioner who also operated a pharmacy, had been involved in private tutoring from his home. His brother, Abu Bakar, serves as secretary of the same Jamaat ward unit.

The investigation into the allegations remains ongoing.