A 10-year schoolgirl died on Sunday afternoon due to caning by her class teacher at Baufal in Patuakhali district, relatives said.
The death of Marium Akter, a student of class three at Shaheed Jalal Government Primary School prompted agitated villagers of Chatrakanda to beat up the class teacher Idris Akon as well as the headmaster Abu Hanif.
Idris Akon denied having caned the girl.
Following a High Court order banning corporal punishment and the education ministry warned that it would take legal action against teachers caning or beating students.
The officer-in-charge of Baufal police station Shilamani Chakna told New Age that he found no mark of injury on Marium and sent her body to Patuakhali Hospital to autopsy.
‘Akon denied the allegation of caning her and we are now waiting for the autopsy report. Her relatives have not lodged a formal complaint to the police as yet,’ he said on Monday.
Her mother Lal Bibi said when Marium went to school on Saturday after abstaining her classes for a number of days as she had been suffering from jaundice her class teacher Idris Akon asked her about home task and she had no answer.
At this point, she said the class teacher caned her and on return home Marium fell ill.
At night she had fever and at about 4 pm on Sunday she died at home, Lal Bibi said.
Hundreds of villagers rushed to the school and beat up the class teacher and the headmaster on hearing the news of Marium’s death.
The two teachers tried in vain to save themselves from the fury of the angry villagers.
The headmaster was later admitted to Barisal Medical College Hospital while the class teacher had to take first aid locally. Lal Bibi, said ‘my daughter was suffering form fever and jaundice for some days. Being hand to mouth we could not provide her treatment. I heard that the teacher caned her that could be the reason of her death.’
Tanjila, her classmate, said that the class teacher had caned her for abstaining classes for some days.
Mostafa Kamal, the upazila education officer, said that he had informed the district information officer about the alleged incident of caning on Monday and was awaiting a decision from the higher authorities.
Courtesy of New Age
