Imtiaz Ahmed (Imti), convener of the Metropolitan Committee of Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangha (Bagchas), has been accused of beating about 50 students at a secondary school in Rangpur.
He currently serves as the president of the school’s managing committee. According to reports, the incident occurred on September 4, but only came to light 18 days later, sparking widespread outrage.
Metropolitan Porshuram police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Maidul Islam confirmed the incident, saying that Imtiaz entered the school in his capacity as managing committee president and “disciplined” students. Following a complaint filed online by a guardian, police were sent to the school.
Students and guardians said Imtiaz is a student at a private university in Dhaka. After August 5, he suddenly rose to prominence and later became convener of the Rangpur Metropolitan Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. Using his influence, he allegedly bypassed regulations and secured the position of school managing committee president while still being a student. Since then, locals alleged, he had been misusing his power.
On September 4, after learning that many students had failed their half-yearly examinations, Imtiaz reportedly entered three classrooms with a cane and beat about 50 students, leaving several injured.
Victims said the incident took place after the tiffin break, when classes were ongoing. Imtiaz arrived on a motorcycle and entered the classrooms of grades eight, nine, and ten. He asked students about their exam results, and those who had failed were called one by one and beaten with a cane. Female students were also assaulted. Teachers present in the classrooms did not intervene, reportedly out of fear.
A teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “Even as a student, Imtiaz became a powerful leader and the president of the managing committee. We feared losing our jobs if we protested.”
Class 10 student Rifat Islam described the incident, saying: “After tiffin, we were in class with our teacher when Imti entered with a cane and asked who had failed. We stood up, and he called us one by one and beat us. Girls were also beaten. Our bodies turned red from the blows. In the ninth-grade class, he beat students so severely that the cane broke.”
Other students, including Shimanto Shil and Shimul Sharma, said they had received their books only in April, leaving little time for study. With a new syllabus and difficult questions, more than two-thirds of their class had failed. They claimed Imtiaz ignored these reasons and beat them as if they were cattle.
Guardians said more than 50 students were assaulted, of whom 10–15 became seriously ill. One student, Irin Akter, had to be admitted to Rangpur Medical College Hospital for two days due to fever and pain, her mother, Dulali Begum, confirmed.
When asked about it, Imtiaz said: “I did it to make the students perform better. I solved their class problems, and for that, I was a bit strict. But 95% of students have no complaint.”
Pressed on whether physical punishment was permissible, he said: “I am like an elder brother in this area. I only disciplined them a little. Some people exaggerated the incident, but it has been mutually resolved.”
Harati High School Head Teacher Ataur Rahman claimed the matter was settled with the consent of guardians and students. “Nothing serious happened. He only told them to study well and get good results,” he said. However, when asked directly about the beatings, he admitted: “He cannot do that, but I resolved the matter with the guardians, and students accepted it.”
Rangpur Sadar upazila Secondary Education Officer Md Abdul Hai said: “There is no scope for corporal punishment in educational institutions. It is banned. If such an incident occurred, the head teacher should have reported it. I am investigating and will take action.”
School sources said that in February, while still a student at a private university, Imtiaz was made convener of Harati High School’s ad hoc committee. At the time, he was also serving as convener of the Rangpur Metropolitan Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. By using his influence, he secured the position of school managing committee president, in violation of regulations.
Local resident and BNP Metropolitan Ward 4 Joint Secretary Rafiqul said: “This was not discipline, but torture, and it is a criminal offence. The head teacher should have informed higher authorities and taken legal action, but instead, he covered it up. Immediate action must be taken.”
