Legal procedures have finally been initiated against Jatiya Party lawmaker from Narayanganj AKM Salim Osman and one Opu for the assault and humiliation of school teacher Shyamal Kanti Bhakta based on a false allegation of blasphemy last year.
Dhaka’s Chief Judicial Magistrate Jasmine Ara has ordered the Narayanganj police superintendent to submit the contact details of the lawmaker and Opu, who beat up the headmaster in his room, by Wednesday.
The legal process has begun after a judicial inquiry found the allegations of assaulting the teacher and forcing him to do squats holding his ears at Salim Osman’s order to be true.
Later the High Court on January 22 transferred the case from the Narayanganj Chief Judicial Magistrate Court to Dhaka’s Chief Judicial Magistrate Court.
Judge Jasmine Ara received the High Court order and case documents on February 28.
Shyamal Kanti, the headmaster of Piyar Sattar Latif High School in Narayanganj, was beaten up by 10-12 persons led by Opu on the school premises on May 13, 2016.
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Later more people gathered at the school demanding his punishment after announcements were made using loudspeakers of local mosques that he had made derogatory comments on Islam.
Salim Osman appeared at the scene and forced the teacher to do squats while holding his ears as punishment for his “crimes”, in the presence of the agitators, triggering countrywide outrage.
Thousands of people posted photos and videos of doing squats on Facebook expressing resentment over the humiliation of the teacher. On the other hand, Islamist parties including Hefazat-e-Islam demanded his harsh punishment of the teacher while militants threatened him with dire consequences.
Shyamal Kanti was also removed from the position on May 17, but the Education Ministry later reinstated him and dissolved the school’s managing committee.
The inquiry commission found that the assault of Shyamal Kanti had been instigated by several members of the managing committee over some development work.
The High Court earlier dismissed a report filed by Narayanganj district police on a general diary filed over the assault and ordered the judicial inquiry.