The authorities at Mohammadpur Preparatory Higher Secondary Girls’ School have decided to permanently sack one of its cleaners, who is accused of sexually assaulting a student on the school premises on May 5.
At a meeting of the school’s Board of Trustees yesterday, it was decided that the cleaner named Gopal who worked at the school’s elementary wing and was suspended on Saturday would now be removed permanently from the school.
The board also decided to relieve Vice-Principal of the school’s English medium section Jinnatun Nesa from her responsibilities because of her inappropriate remarks following the incident.
The board also condemned the aggressive behaviour shown by some guardians and outsiders during demonstrations that were staged to protest the sexual assault.
Conveying the message from the board, a notice was put up on the school gate yesterday.
In the notice, it was mentioned that the school authorities had taken immediate action after receiving an allegation regarding the incident. The probe body that was formed to investigate the claim identified Gopal as the perpetrator, and the board consequently had him permanently sacked.
M Tamim, a member of the Board of Trustees, told the Dhaka Tribune that based on the victim’s statement, it was found that Gopal had attempted to molest the student on the afternoon of May 5.
He said Gopal had brandished a knife on the day and forcibly dragged the student to a quiet place inside the school compound.
“The girl was very brave and she punched him [Gopal] in the abdomen before fleeing to her fellow classmates,” said Tamim, who is a professor at Buet and a former adviser to a caretaker government.
Meanwhile, yesterday’s notice at the school’s gate praised Jinnatun Nesa’s 36-year-long career as a teacher at the school, but added: “For the sake of investigation and fair judgement, a decision has been made to relieve her [Jinnatun] from her present post.”
The notice continued: “It is very regrettable that some guardians and outsiders showed aggressive attitude after the incident. They also psychically harassed the honourable principle and other teachers of the school in front of the institute’s children and also vandalised school property. The authority expresses its deep condemnation of such behaviour.”
The attempt to molest a student on May 5, however, was not the first such sexual assault at the school.
Officials at the school said a chemistry teacher was sacked in December 2014, after allegations surfaced against him for sexually harassing a student.
Following the recent May 5 incident, M Tamim had said that in order to ensure better security at the school in the future, authorities would soon set up 12 CCTV cameras in the girls’ section as well as transferring all male employees from there, appoint female supervisors for the girls’ toilets and hire female security guards.
The school currently remains closed, reportedly for Shab-e-Meraj and summer holidays, and is scheduled to resume its activities from May 26.
