An 11-year-old schoolgirl was rescued in an unconscious state from a school in Mirpur upazila of Kushtia at around 8:00 pm on Thursday.
She was first taken to Mirpur Upazila Health Complex that night and later admitted to Kushtia General Hospital for advanced treatment.
Her physical condition is reported to be very weak. Physicians say the girl may have been raped.
Police have taken the school’s office assistant and night guard into custody for questioning. The girl is a sixth-grader of the institution.
According to the girl’s family, teachers and police, a farewell programme for SSC (Secondary School Certificate) candidates was held at the school on Thursday, where students from other classes were also present. Although the programme ended around 3:00 pm and most students returned home, the girl’s family could not find her. At one stage, the schoolgirl’s family members requested the office assistant to check at the classrooms of the school.
A maternal uncle of the girl, speaking to Prothom Alo outside the gynaecology ward of Kushtia General Hospital, said that when family members went to the school and requested the office assistant to unlock the classrooms for a search, he paid no heed and instead behaved aggressively.
According to him, later, after repeatedly contacting the head teacher, the classrooms were searched at around 8:00 pm. After unlocking the ground floor, they found the girl lying unconscious on the first floor. Her sandals were found on another floor. She was quickly rescued and taken to Mirpur Upazila Health Complex, from where physicians referred her to Kushtia General Hospital.
The head teacher of the secondary school said that he had left for home at around 2:45 pm after the programme ended. The office assistant locked all the classrooms and closed the school before leaving. Later that night, he was informed that a student was missing. The girl was eventually found lying unconscious on the cornice of the second floor by her family members.
He added that police have taken the office assistant and the night guard into custody, and he has visited the girl at the hospital.
Physician Susmita Biswas of the Gynaecology Department at Kushtia General Hospital told Prothom Alo, “There are marks of beating on the body of the girl. Initially, it is being suspected that she has been raped. Some samples have to be collected to ascertain this. The girl is not speaking now; she appears to be traumatised and very weak. She is being given treatment at the hospital.”
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Mirpur police station officer-in-charge Mohammad Shahidul Islam said, I’m at the hospital. We have been speaking to the girl and her relatives. As the physicians have found some clue, a proper investigation is being conducted. Two have been taken into police custody for questioning. A case will be filed soon if the physicians provide conclusive evidence. No perpetrator will go unpunished.”