A schoolteacher taken into police custody in Kushtia over remarks he allegedly made about Prime Minister Tarique Rahman was released late Wednesday on the prime minister’s order, police told Daily Waadaa.

Aminul Islam, superintendent of police in Kushtia, said Golam Kibria Lalon had been released “upon PM’s order."

Khaledur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Daulatpur Police Station, separately confirmed the release.

“I just dropped him at his home,” Khaledur told Waadaa late Wednesday.

Kibria, a Bangla teacher at Pragpur Secondary School in Daulatpur, had earlier been taken into what police described to Waadaa as “protective custody” after a group of parents and local residents gathered over comments he allegedly made during a Grade 10 class.

No case had been filed against him.

The episode began during a Bangla class on Tuesday afternoon when discussion turned to the prime minister’s recent Bangla-language speech at the United Nations.

Md Delwar Hossain, additional superintendent of police for the Bheramara Circle, earlier told Waadaa that Kibria was accused of telling students: “You want to be Grade-8 pass like Prime Minister Tarique Rahman? You can't even pronounce properly like him.”

The allegation subsequently reached parents and local residents, some of whom gathered at the school Wednesday morning.

Police said they intervened because of concerns for the teacher’s safety.

“Some guardians and local people created a mob and tried to harass him,” Delwar told Waadaa. “So, after hearing such news, we went there and brought him into police custody for his own protection.”

The school’s headteacher, Ashrafuzzaman Mukul, said Kibria denied making derogatory remarks about PM Tarique.

Mukul said the teacher acknowledged commenting that the prime minister’s Bangla pronunciation had become somewhat unclear after spending a long period outside Bangladesh.

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