Naogaon school head teacher Dharani Kanta lands in jail in case filed by Amodini Paul

A Naogaon court on Sunday sent Dharani Kanta Barman, head teacher of Daul Barbakpur High School in Naogaon’s Mahadebpur upazila, to jail after he was taken into custody in a case filed by assistant head teacher Amodini Paul, reports news agency UNB.

The court of Naogaon Senior Judicial Cognizance Court-3 Judge Tajul Islam passed the order after accused Dharani Kanta appealed for bail appearing before the court.

Earlier, on Thursday night, QM Sayeed Tito, and Kazi Samshuzzaman Milon were arrested in the same case.

The arrestees are among about 20-25 people against whom the assistant head mistress Amodini Paul filed a defamation suit for falsely implicating her in an incident of beating student “for wearing hijab” and hurting religious sentiment by spreading misinformation.

On 9 April, Amodini Pal filed the case against these people, including the school’s head teacher Dharani Kant Barman, president of the school managing committee Mahmudul Hasan Sumon and Salauddin Ahmed, a resident of Gaherpur village in Porsha upazila.

Earlier, on 10 April, Dharani kanta Barman filed a general diary at the same police station accusing 150 anonymous people for spreading rumors about a teacher beating up students “for wearing hijab” in school and vandalising school property.

That was in relation to an incident from 6 April, when Amodini Paul caned 16-18 students of the 8th, 9th and 10th classes for not wearing school uniforms.

Later, it was distorted into an issue over hijab, as some of the girls who got punished were wearing their hijab. But even male students were punished on the day by a different teacher on the same grounds.

On 11 April, a three-member administrative probe body formed in this regard submitted a report to Mahadebpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mizanur Rahman.

The committee did not find any proof of students being punished for wearing hijab, rather it said Amodini Paul and Badiul Alam punished some students for not wearing school uniform and there were male students and Hindu students among them.