Tawhida Kabir, a female assistant English teacher at Motijheel Ideal School and College in Dhaka has been suspended after filing a sexual harassment complaint against her colleague.
She alleged that on February 23, Islamic and Moral Studies teacher Mohammad Shafiqul Islam Khan sexually harassed her, but that acting principal Mohammad Ferdous took no action when informed.
According to the complaint, on April 9, during a meeting in the assistant headteacher’s office, Shafiqul barged in, verbally abused her, and left, only to return later and sit next to her. That same day, Ferdous allegedly harassed her as well. When she protested, he sent her a suspension order and show-cause notice via WhatsApp.
Tawhida said: “Both Acting Principal Ferdous and Shafiqul Islam harassed me. The case is in court. I’m mentally traumatized by what I’ve been through.”
On April 9, Ferdous suspended her without the approval of the governing body. He later faced legal trouble himself after Tawhida filed a case in the Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal, naming Shafiqul Islam as the first accused and Ferdous as the second.
When asked about the allegations, Ferdous claimed: “These are old allegations. A teacher was suspended for making students stand for wearing the hijab.”
Asked specifically about the sexual harassment case, he sidestepped the question, saying: “I don’t know if such a case exists.”
Tawhida countered: “I wear a burqa myself. A colleague once told me not to, but now they are twisting it to make it about students’ clothing to cover up the harassment.”
Shafiqul denied the harassment allegations, claiming: “It’s beyond imagination that such a heinous case could be filed.” He added that Tawhida had punished his daughter and five other girls for wearing a burqa and hijab.
Additional allegations against Ferdous
Ferdous has also been accused of oil theft and financial irregularities. On August 3, in a bid to save his job, he resigned from the acting principal’s position while retaining his teaching post.
He allegedly arranged for the 2025 school diary—riddled with errors—to be printed in July by a low-quality, little-known firm, embezzling more than Tk5 million with the help of a convicted assistant headteacher.
He also faces a case filed by a guardian, Md Saiful Islam, in the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court, accusing him of stealing Tk150,000 worth of fuel through using the institution’s vehicle. Other allegations include running a bus service under a relative’s name for the college branch and financial irregularities in painting contracts. Ferdous has denied all allegations.