Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad leader beats up students in Rangpur school for failing

In Rangpur, a leader of the Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangshad (Bangladesh Democratic Student Council) has been accused of beating up fifty students of a secondary school. The accused, Imtiaz Ahmed (Imti), is the convenor of the organisation’s Rangpur city committee.

Victim students and their parents complain that Imtiaz Ahmed is also the convenor of the school’s management committee. 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 on 4 September at Harati High School in Rangpur city. Once the matter of students being beaten spread, outraged parents rushed to the school and expressed their anger.

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.

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 18 July.

Sources from the school said Harati High School has 230 students studying in classes between six and ten. Prothom Alo spoke to at least 15 victim students in connection to the incident of beating.

They allege that after the tiffin break on 4 September, classes were underway when Imtiaz Ahmed entered the classrooms of class eight, nine and ten. He asked them for their half-yearly results and called out the students who had failed, beating them one by one. Though teachers were present in the classrooms, none of them protested.

Rifat Islam, a student of class ten, recounted, “After tiffin break we were in the fifth period with our class teacher. He (Imtiaz) came in with a cane and asked, whoever has failed, stand up. We stood up. Then he called us up one by one and beat us. He hit everyone, even the girls. Our bodies turned red with the beating. While beating students in class nine he broke the cane.”

Two other students of class ten, Simanto Shil and Shimul Sharma, said that their textbooks had only been handed out in April, and classes were held for only a few days. The question pattern was also new. So, the half-yearly exams were very difficult.

They said more than two-thirds of their class failed for the delay in handing out textbooks and the newly -introduced creative curriculum. But, he (Imtiaz) did not listen to any of this. Instead he beat them ‘like cattle’.

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. Irene’s uncle, Yakub Ali, added, “Her (Irene's) arm swelled from the beating.”

When asked about the beating, Imtiaz Ahmed told Prothom Alo, “It wasn’t like that. As the chairman of the school, I have been working hard for six months so that the children achieve better grades. I solved their classroom problems. For that, I scolded and disciplined them a bit, that’s all. But 95 per cent of the students have no complaints about this.”

When asked if such physical punishment could be given in the name of discipline, Imtiaz said, “I’m also like a senior brother in this area. I just disciplined them a little. Some people in the area tried to exaggerate the matter, but it has been resolved.”

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.

Headmaster Ataur Rahman claimed he has settled the matter with the consent of students and parents. When asked what had happened, he said, “It wasn’t anything serious. He (Imtiaz) came and told the children to study hard and do well. That’s all.”

When asked about the beatings, the headmaster said, “He can’t do that. We resolved it with the children and parents. The children also accepted it.”

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Parshuram police station, Maidul Islam, told Prothom Alo 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.

However, local resident and joint secretary of Rangpur city BNP unit in Ward no. 4, Rafiqul Islam, said, “This is not discipline in any way but abuse of students. It is also a criminal offence. The headmaster should have informed higher authorities and taken legal action. Instead, he covered it up.”

Rangpur upazila secondary education officer Abdul Hai told Prothom Alo, “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.”