Tongi madrasa slap incident: What actually happened?

A Gazipur court on Sunday sent Moslem Ahmed, a part-time teacher at Qari-ul-Quran International Madrasah in Tongi, Gazipur, to jail in a case filed over the alleged sexual abuse of a Class-I girl, rejecting his bail petition.

The development came after a video went viral on social media showing the girl's father beating the teacher over allegations of sexual abuse involving his daughter.

The footage triggered widespread debate on social media. Many Facebook users expressed support for the girl's father and demanded justice over the alleged abuse, while others criticised him for taking the law into his own hands.

Two cases have been filed in connection with the incident. The first was filed by the girl's father, Shah Jalal Rumi, accusing Moslem of sexually abusing his daughter under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. The second was filed by Almas Hossain, the madrasa's founding chairman, accusing Rumi of vandalism, assault, attempted murder and molestation. Almas also alleged that Rumi took 17 lakh taka from his drawer.

According to Rumi's complaint, the alleged incident took place on October 19, when Moslem grabbed his daughter on a staircase inside the madrasa while she was alone and sexually abused her. The complaint further alleged that the teacher threatened to kill the girl if she disclosed the incident to anyone.

According to the family, the student subsequently became reluctant to attend the madrasa. When her parents asked her about the matter, she later told them what had happened.

Madrasa chairman disputes allegations

The madrasa authorities, however, have denied the allegations against Moslem, describing them as entirely false and claiming that the incident was part of a conspiracy against the institution.

Daily Waadaa contacted Almas, the madrasa's founding chairman, who disputed the allegations against Moslem and accused Rumi and his companions of assaulting the teacher.

Almas said the matter originated on October 17, when Moslem reportedly told his students that he would bring chocolates, gifts and puppies (kisses on the cheeks) if they achieved good results in their examinations.

"He said it, but he didn't kiss the student," Almas told Waadaa.

According to Almas, when the student's mother complained to the madrasa's vice-principal, Mawlana Salahuddin Ahmed, the latter informed Moslem about the complaint and instructed him not to make such remarks again.

Almas claimed that the student attended classes on October 18, 19 and 20, the three days following the alleged remarks. He also referred to CCTV footage that he said showed the girl attending classes on October 21, shortly before Rumi arrived at the madrasa.

Teacher beaten repeatedly, left bleeding

On October 21, at around 11:30am, Rumi arrived at the institution with a group of people and began vandalising property and assaulting people, CCTV footage showed.

At one point, Rumi found Moslem and began beating him without first making any complaint to the madrasa authorities, Almas said.

A female teacher, Jannatul Ferdous Koli, also alleged that Rumi used abusive language towards her and pushed her during the confrontation. Almas alleged that Rumi assaulted Koli, slapped an elderly caretaker and severely beat Moslem.

The footage also shows Rumi slapping the madrasa's security guard, Delwar Hussain Patwary, after the beating of Moslem.

CCTV footage shows several people, including Rumi, beating Moslem. After one round of group assault, the teacher took refuge inside a room separated by glass partitions. Rumi and his companions later brought him out again.

At that point, Moslem appeared to be bleeding near his right ear.

"It was not just a slap. He kept beating him (Moslem), putting off his clothes, kicking him nonstop. We needed to take him to the hospital immediately," Almas said.

Almas further alleged that police took Moslem into custody while he was receiving treatment at Ahsanullah Master General Hospital, before any case had been filed.

Meanwhile, Rumi issued a statement on Friday night, October 23, seeking security for himself and his family. He also demanded justice for his daughter and an impartial investigation into the allegations against him, saying his anger was directed at what had happened to his daughter, not at madrasas or any religion.

Questions over sequence of events

Almas also questioned the consistency of the allegations against Moslem. He claimed that Rumi initially accused the teacher, on October 21, of wanting to kiss the girl but later alleged that he had actually kissed her.

Both Rumi's and his wife's phone numbers were switched off when Waadaa attempted to contact them for comment.

Several media outlets, citing CCTV footage, have reported that Moslem went to the student's house on October 20, a day before the confrontation at the madrasa.

Asked about the visit, Almas said Moslem might have become worried about losing his job after the girl's mother complained to the vice-principal, prompting him to visit the family.

He, however, said he could not confirm the reason for the visit with certainty.