'Mentally imbalanced' headmaster held his ears willingly: Salim Osman

Terming humiliated Narayanganj headmaster Shyamal Kanti 'mentally imbalanced', local member of parliament (MP) AKM Salim Osman on Thursday said the teacher did the sit-ups holding his ears willingly to save his life after criticising Islam.

Salim claimed this at a press conference at the Narayanganj Club, flanked by over hundred party men.

When asked if he is sorry for this at a time the whole country is saying 'sorry sir', he countered the journalists with another question. "Who should I say sorry to? The one who made remarks about Allah was punlished. I will never ever say sorry, even if I die," said Salim. 

Although he admitted that making a teacher do sit-ups holding his ears is a crime, the lawmaker claimed that he did so to save Shyamal Kanti's life. Saying that devout Muslims demanded the teacher be punished that day, Salim said, "Are we living in the age of Iblish? You give the answer."

“There were around four to five thousand enraged locals on the school premises that day. When I reached there, locals asked me to hand him over to them, but I didn’t want any communal riot,” Salim Osman said.
He added that Shyamal Kanti confessed to making derogatory comments about Islam and the teacher himself suggested to do the sit-ups. "I have done it to save a man's life," he added.
Salim also claimed that he is bearing the treatment cost of Shyamal Kanti and he will send him to India for better treatment as well.
On 13 May, locals beat Shyamal Kanti Bhakta, headmaster of the Piyar Sattar Latif High School in Bandar area of Narayanganj for allegedly hurting the religious sentiment.
At one stage, AKM Salim Osman made him do sit-ups holding his ears in the presence of the local people.
The High Court on Wednesday issued a rule asking why legal action should not be taken against Salim Osman and others involved in the humiliation of the teacher.