By Golam Mortuja Antu
Parimal Joydhar, a teacher at Viqarunnisa Noon School, was accused of raping an underage female student. Because he was arrested in a rape case, the BCS administration recommended him for a cadre position, yet he ultimately did not get the job.
During that incident, we did not hear anyone come forward in support of Parimal and raise their voices. Neither the teachers’ community nor the leaders of the Hindu community came forward to say that “this is a conspiracy by Muslims.”
Whenever allegations of sexual abuse against female students emerge at schools, colleges, or universities across the country, the authorities initially try to cover up the incident. But when students and parents raise their voices in protest, those cases become national news.
Even when allegations of sexual abuse against teachers at madrasas emerge, there are efforts to cover them up in the same way. Only when parents become vocal do the allegations come to light. I have personally witnessed at least three incidents in which, after allegations of sexual abuse emerged, committees dismissed the teachers from those madrasas. Apart from dismissal, the accused have hardly faced any real punishment in these incidents to date.
Now, when parents are speaking out and cases are being filed, the hujurs are trying to portray the entire matter as a “conspiracy against the Alem community.”
Look at the incident in Netrokona. After a madrasa teacher sexually abused an 11-year-old female student, a doctor came forward and brought the matter to public attention. Later, the Huzur’s group not only stood by the teacher but also attacked the doctor who had reported the incident. They are even going to the madrasa and holding gatherings in support of the accused teacher.
The approach adopted by the people at the madrasa—rather than protesting the incident or introducing structural changes to prevent such occurrences, they resorted to negotiation and pressure tactics to defend the accused—will not benefit them in the long run.
Teachers accused of sexual abuse have existed in colleges and universities for generations, and they still exist today. They operate quietly, and when caught, they are beaten. But the kind of legitimacy the Huzurs want for such people is utterly unbelievable and irrational.
Golam Mortuja Antu is a senior journalist.