‘Cannot sleep at night after seeing video of our father being harassed’

“…You know, we daughters cannot sleep at night after seeing the video of our father being harassed. Just think, he is not just a teacher, he is our father. How would you feel if this happened to your father?”

In reaction to acting head teacher of Bhatiari Haji Tobarak Ali Chowdhury (TAC) High School in Sitakunda of Chattogram, Kanti Lal Acharya being forced into signing his resignation letter, his daughter Bhabna Acharya wrote this on social media, Facebook.

Attaching a video clip of her father being forced to sign the resignation letter, she updated a status on Facebook around 2:15 pm on Thursday afternoon. The Facebook status went viral. More than 336,000 people have watched and almost 1,900 people have shared the video on Facebook till 10:15 am today, Friday.

The incident of Kanti Lal Acharya being forced to resign took place this Wednesday. It has been alleged that local leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and affiliated organisations, along with a section of former students of the school, marched into the school, cornered Kanti Lal Acharya and forced him to sign the resignation letter.

Bhabna Acharya is the youngest of Kanti Lal Acharya’s three daughters. She is a post-graduate student in Chittagong University.

She wrote in her Facebook status, “My father Kanti Lal Acharya has been teaching at Bhatiari Haji Tobarak Ali Chowdhury High School for 35 years. Yesterday (Wednesday), my father was forced into resigning from the post of acting head teacher without any sort of proven charges. There was no explanation on what was my father’s crime or what was the problem.”

Bhabna Acharya continued in her post, “You know, my father was forbidden to go to the school before the disturbance at the school. They had warned that he would be humiliated if he went to school. In response my father said that he did not do anything wrong and he is not guilty of any crime. If he is told to leave he would leave the post without hesitation, still he would go to school. He said why he should escape. If anyone can, let them bring proof of his crimes.”

Bhabna Acharya further wrote, “Crude bombs were blasted at the school before my father was forced to resign. My father was still undaunted. They were forcibly telling him to sign a paper that read ‘I am resigning voluntarily on allegation of corruption’. My father fearlessly said he didn’t commit any corruption, he wouldn’t sign that paper. He would resign normally. A group came to hit my father at that time. Later, it was written on another paper that he resigned due to personal reasons.”

Speaking of frustration in this incident of her father being harassed, Bhabna wrote, “It is so simple, right! My father let so many students stay in his home, taught so many students without money and exempted fees of so many others. Now, this is the fate of a teacher today!”

Mentioning that her father fell sick after this incident, Bhabna wrote, “Such humiliation of a teacher! We are the only wretched nation in the world that is targeting the teachers and presenting them with such a humiliating situation at every step.”

As many as 139 people had commented on her Facebook post till 10:15 am today. Almost all of them have condemned this incident and demanded justice for it. Many have also drawn the administration’s attention in this regard.

It has been learnt after speaking to teachers of the school and witnesses of the incident that local BNP leaders and activists had a grudge against the head teacher over the post of president for the ad hoc committee formed to run the school. The current president of the committee, Mahiuddin Ahmed, is backed by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. 

Mahiuddin Ahmed was also present at the scene while the head teacher was forced to sign the resignation letter on Wednesday. He too was cornered.

Allegations have been raised against BNP leaders and activists about fracturing the skull of one of Mahiuddin Ahmed’s relatives.

The witnesses and the teachers of the school said after he signed the resignation paper later, Kanti Lal Acharya was dropped home in Bhatiari Union BNP unit president and former UP chairman Nurul Anwar’s car.

After the incident, Bhatiari union BNP president Nurul Anwar told Prothom Alo that Kanti Lal Acharya has long been serving as the acting head teacher of the school. Allegations of extensive corruption have been raised against him.

He further said that the leaders and activists from BNP and affiliated organisations along with former students of the school and local residents brought out a procession demanding his resignation. The head teacher was forced to resign under the pressure of an agitated public. Now, necessary steps will be taken against him after proper investigation.  

When asked, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) Md Fakhrul Islam told Prothom Alo that he is leading a probe committee formed by the authorities of Chattogram Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education in this regard. After investigating the incident, a written report will be submitted to the education board authorities within four working days.

The higher authorities have already been informed about this incident, he added.

Victim teacher Kanti Lal Acharya told Prothom Alo that he had fallen sick after the incident at the school. At the same time, he is feeling insecure and is in a state of fear and panic. Everyone in his family is worried about him.