Teenagers stab teacher, asking, ‘Why did you report me to the police?’
Accounting teacher Nazrul Islam, 35, an assistant teacher at Iqra Abdul Jabbar High School in Lohagara upazila of Chattogram, was on his way to a tea stall with a friend. It was around 7:00 pm. They were walking along Shahid Major Nazmul Haque Road in Amirabad union of the upazila.
Suddenly, Nazrul heard someone calling from behind and turned around. He saw several teenagers surrounding him, weapons in their hands. One of them shouted at him, “Why did you report me to the police?” They then attacked him with knives and razors. When the injured teacher screamed after being stabbed repeatedly, the teenagers fled. Before leaving, they took Tk 45,000 and his mobile phone.
Teacher Nazrul has still not recovered from the incident, which took place on 4 September. Last Tuesday, sitting at his single-storey home in Ukilpara of the upazila, he showed the scars on his body.
He sustained injuries from sharp weapons in five places, including both hands and his right thigh. He is still not physically or mentally fit enough to return to work. He is struggling to come to terms with such an attack by teenagers around the age of his own students.
Several teenagers abducted a student of the school that day, led by one of the victim’s former classmates. Teachers later rescued the student from the Kachabazar area of Bottoli Station in the upazila. Police were handed over one teenager involved in the incident. The detained teenager was a former student of Iqra School, who had been expelled from the school last year for disciplinary violations.
It started at the school
Headteacher of Iqra Abdul Jabbar High School, Jamal Uddin, said the attack on teacher Nazrul Islam was linked to an incident from 22 August. Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said several teenagers abducted a student of the school that day, led by one of the victim’s former classmates.
Teachers later rescued the student from the Kachabazar area of Bottoli Station in the upazila. Police were handed over one teenager involved in the incident. The detained teenager was a former student of Iqra School, who had been expelled from the school last year for disciplinary violations.
The headteacher said Nazrul Islam was among the teachers who went to rescue the student that day. Following the incident, Nazrul received repeated threats on his mobile phone and was eventually attacked.
Headteacher Jamal Uddin said teachers teach students at school, discipline them and correct them when they make mistakes. If a teenager then stands against such a teacher with a weapon, the incident cannot be viewed merely as an attack on an individual; it is a wound inflicted on society as a whole.
Jamal Uddin further said the teachers had stepped forward to prevent a student from being abducted from the school. They detained the former student and handed him over to the police. If that was the reason for the attack, it raises questions about teachers’ safety. No teacher would want to take responsibility for teenagers any longer. This is the time for teachers and parents to rethink the issue.
What those involved are saying
Teacher Nazrul Islam has still not fully recovered. He has also yet to overcome the mental shock caused by the incident. He told Prothom Alo, “I am a teacher. I try to help my students become good people. I never imagined that my own former student and teenagers of his age would attack me like this.”
“That day, a student had been abducted from the school. We rushed to rescue him out of a sense of duty as teachers. If I then have to become a victim of an attack, where does that leave us as teachers?” he added.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Bayezid-bin-Akhond also described the incident as concerning. He told Prothom Alo, “The attack on a teacher is extremely concerning. Ensuring the safety of students and teachers in educational institutions is everyone’s responsibility. Whoever is involved in the incident must be identified through an investigation and brought to justice.”
“Families, schools, elected representatives and the administration must work together to prevent teenagers from becoming involved in crime. Collective efforts are needed to encourage dropped-out students to return to school. It is also essential to ensure that no political or social identity can shield offenders from legal action,” he added.
Prothom Alo spoke to several parents. They said, “We send our children to school so that they can receive an education and become good people. But if boys attack their own school teacher, it is a matter of great concern for us. Juvenile crime cannot be stopped by the police alone. Families need to keep track of their children, including whom they mix with and where they go.”
“At the same time, schools and senior members of society also have a responsibility to act. A teacher has been attacked today; tomorrow, someone else’s child could become a victim. At an age when a teenager should have books, notebooks or a cricket bat in their hands, why are they carrying sharp weapons instead?” they questioned.
I am a teacher. I try to help my students become good people. I never imagined that my own former student and teenagers of his age would attack me like this. That day, a student had been abducted from the school. We rushed to rescue him out of a sense of duty as teachers. If I then have to become a victim of an attack, where does that leave us as teachers?Nazrul Islam, assistant teacher, Iqra Abdul Jabbar High School
Seven named in case
Lohagara police said a case has been filed naming seven people over the attack on teacher Nazrul Islam. One of the accused named in the case has already been arrested. Police are conducting operations to arrest the other accused.
Lohagara police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Abdullah said the teacher filed the case that night, naming seven people as accused. Police have arrested one person. They have identified everyone else involved in the incident and are conducting operations to arrest them. Police are investigating the incident seriously.