Teacher sentenced to life for raping student in Gazipur

A court in Gazipur has sentenced a teacher, Anwar Hossain Khan, to life imprisonment with hard labor for the rape of a 6-year-old student. He has also been fined Tk. 100,000. The court ordered that, should he fail to pay the fine, his immovable property be sold and the proceeds given to the victim.

The verdict was delivered on Thursday (November 5) by Judge Abu Bakr Siddique of the Gazipur Metropolitan Tribunal for the Prevention of Violence Against Children.

According to court sources, the defense lawyers requested an adjournment on the day of the verdict, but the court rejected the request and proceeded with the sentencing. The accused was not present in court; a warrant for his arrest has been issued.

Case details indicate that on the morning of August 31, 2019, a 6-year-old student in the nursery class at Adarsha Shishu Kanon School, located in Sharifpur (Dhanbari), Ward 34, under the Gacha Police Station in Gazipur, arrived at school. The case statement alleges that around 9:15 AM, after other teachers had left for their respective classrooms, assistant teacher Anwar Hossain Khan took the child to the school office and raped her.

The statement further alleges that, prior to the incident, an English teacher at the school, Farida Begum, had called the child out of the classroom and taken her to the office. The child was subsequently threatened and warned not to disclose the incident to anyone. Around 11:00 AM, the child returned home bleeding and crying, and recounted what had happened to her mother.

The child received initial medical treatment at a local clinic. Following discussions with family members and school authorities, the child’s mother, Shamima Sultana, filed a written complaint at the Gacha Police Station on September 5, 2019.

A case was registered at the Gacha Police Station under sections 9(1) and 30 of the Nari O Shishu Nirjatan Daman Ain (Prevention of Oppression Against Women and Children Act), 2000 (as amended). Anwar Hossain Khan was named as the primary accused for the rape, while the teacher, Farida Begum, was accused of complicity. 

Following a lengthy judicial process, which included the examination of evidence and hearings from both sides, the court sentenced Anwar Hossain Khan to life imprisonment with rigorous labor and imposed a fine of Tk. 100,000. The court further ordered that, should the fine remain unpaid, the convict’s immovable property be sold and the proceeds awarded to the child victim.

The prosecution was represented by Selina Begum, Special Public Prosecutor (PP) for the Metropolitan Tribunal for the Prevention of Violence Against Children, assisted by lawyers Mohiuddin and Zakir Kader.

In accordance with the court’s directive, a warrant for the arrest of the convict, who is currently a fugitive, has been issued and forwarded to the relevant police station.

-    RS/NS