A Special Tribunal in Jamalpur has sentenced a 45-year-old madrasa teacher to eight years of rigorous imprisonment for attempting to sexually assault a nine-year-old female student of Class Three.
The verdict was handed down on Thursday, 5 November, by Judge Muhammad Abdur Rahim of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-1 of the Jamalpur District and Sessions Judge Court. Alongside the custodial sentence, the court ordered the convict, identified as Saidur Rahman (also known as Saidur Munshi), to pay a fine of 200,000 BDT. The court directed that the entire fine, once recovered, be handed over to the young victim as financial compensation.
Saidur Munshi, the son of Jural Mistry, hails from Sakuapara village under the Hatibhanga Union in Dewananj Upazila. At the time of the incident, he was employed as an instructor at Madinatool Uloom Noorani Model Madrasa, an institution situated within the same local administrative area.
The events leading to the trial unfolded in late April of this year. According to the case details documented by the prosecution, the victim’s father, a seasonal agricultural labourer, had left his home in Sakuapara on 20 April to travel to Sreepur Upazila in Gazipur district to harvest paddy. Taking advantage of the father’s absence, the incident took place on the morning of 26 April at approximately 11:30 AM.
Saidur Munshi reportedly summoned the young girl under a pretext and took her to his own home near the madrasa premises. Upon taking her inside a south-facing corrugated tin bedroom, he lifted the child onto a bed and attempted to sexually assault her. The assault was interrupted when an unexpected sound knocked against the door, causing the teacher to retreat to a corner of the room in panic. Seizing the sudden opportunity, the terrified child fled the scene in tears and returned to her family residence.
The gravity of the situation was compounded by economic hardship. The victim’s mother contacted her husband by mobile phone the following day, 27 April, to relay the traumatic event. After speaking with local witnesses to confirm the incident, the father faced an agonising delay. Lacking immediate funds to cover the transportation costs required to travel back from Gazipur, he was unable to return home until 30 April.
Following consultations with family members and local elders upon his return, the father formally lodged a written complaint at the Dewananj Model Police Station on 3 May. The police subsequently initiated formal proceedings, leading to the perpetrator’s arrest and eventual charge-sheeting under the stringent provisions of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.
During the trial proceedings, the tribunal examined evidence presented by the prosecution, alongside testimony from five key witnesses, including local residents and law enforcement officers. Public Prosecutor Fazlul Haq, representing the state, expressed satisfaction with the judicial outcome, noting that the thorough cross-examination of the witnesses left no room for doubt regarding the convict’s culpability.
Cases of abuse within academic and religious institutions in rural regions often present significant challenges due to social pressures and delays in legal reporting. Legal experts noted that despite the initial delay caused by the family’s economic predicament, the court’s decision to award both rigorous imprisonment and direct monetary compensation sends a clear signal regarding child protection measures across regional educational establishments. The convict was immediately transferred from the dock to Jamalpur District Jail under heavy security to serve his sentence.
