School manager arrested over child abuse incident in Naya Paltan

Police have arrested the manager of a school in connection with a child abuse incident at a school in the Naya Paltan area of the capital. The arrested person is Pabitra Kumar Barua, manager of the school.

He was arrested early this morning, Friday, from a house in the Mirpur area by police from Paltan police station. He is the husband of Sharmin Jahan, the founder and headteacher of Sharmin Academy.

Assistant commissioner (Motijheel zone) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Hossain Muhammad Farabi confirmed the arrest to Prothom Alo this morning.

Deputy commissioner of police (Motijheel division) Mohammad Harun Or Rashid told Prothom Alo that another team from Paltan police station is conducting a drive to arrest the other accused, Sharmin Jahan.

On 18 January, a child was abused at a school named Sharmin Academy on Masjid Road in the Naya Paltan area. The child was a pre-play class student and was under four years old.

A video of the abuse inside the school’s office room has gone viral on social media. The footage shows a woman bringing a child wearing a school uniform into the office room. She first slaps the child. A man who was already present in the room then assaults the child.

At times, the man is seen gripping the child by the throat, and at other times covering the child’s mouth. He is holding a stapler in his hand. The child is seen crying and becoming distressed, while the woman holds the child by the hands to restrain them.

At one point, when the child spits on the woman’s sari, the man is seen pressing the child’s head against the spot where the child spat and repeatedly shaking the child’s head in that position.

The woman seen in the video is Sharmin Jahan, the founder and headteacher of Sharmin Academy, while the man is the school manager, Pabitra Kumar Barua.

Following the incident, the child’s mother filed a case at Paltan police station. The case has been filed against two accused under Section 70 of the Children Act.