A madrasa teacher accused of sexually assaulting multiple students was beaten by an angry crowd in western Bangladesh on Thursday, while three police officers, including the local police chief, were injured trying to rescue him.
The violence erupted at Markazul Madrasa in Malithapara village under Khalishakundi Union in Daulatpur, Kushtia district, about 200 kilometers west of Dhaka.
The accused teacher, Ashikullah, 40, was detained after police rescued him from the crowd. Protesters also vandalized a police pickup truck during the confrontation.
The three injured officers were identified as Daulatpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Khaledur Rahman, Assistant Sub-Inspector Nazrul Islam and Constable Azam Hossain.
All three received preliminary medical treatment.
According to police, local residents and the families of the alleged victims, Ashikullah had been accused of sexually assaulting several boys enrolled in the madrasa’s Quran memorization program on multiple occasions.
Ashikullah, originally from Jamdia village in Bagharpara, Jashore district, was a teacher in the madrasa’s Hifz department, where students memorize the Quran. He also served as the institution’s administrator.
The allegations came to light after students disclosed the alleged abuse to their families.
One of the alleged victims, a 13-year-old boy, reportedly told his family that the teacher had lured him into his room on the pretext of teaching him the Quran before sexually assaulting him.
The teacher also allegedly threatened the boy to prevent him from disclosing the incident.
As news of the allegations spread Thursday afternoon, relatives of the students and local residents gathered outside the madrasa.
The crowd surrounded the institution, confined the accused teacher and began beating him, according to local accounts.
Police from Daulatpur Police Station arrived after receiving reports that the teacher was being held by angry residents.
Officers attempted to bring the situation under control and rescue Ashikullah.
However, the crowd turned violent during the rescue operation, attacking police personnel and vandalizing their pickup truck.
Officer-in-Charge Khaledur Rahman and two other officers sustained injuries in the confrontation.
Despite the resistance, police managed to rescue Ashikullah and take him into custody.
One of the students who alleged abuse said the teacher had assaulted him repeatedly.
“The madrasa teacher abused me on different occasions. When I could no longer endure it, I told my family. They then came to the madrasa and confined him,” the student said.
A relative of another alleged victim expressed anger over the accusations.
“I enrolled my son in the madrasa to fulfill his late mother’s wish that he memorize the Quran. Instead, my son became a victim of such horrific abuse,” the relative said.
“We want a fair investigation and exemplary punishment for whoever is responsible.”
Belal Hossain, panel chairman of Khalishakundi Union Parishad, a local government body, confirmed that allegations involving multiple students had triggered the confrontation.
“After allegations emerged that the madrasa teacher had abused several students, local residents became angry and confined him. Police later brought the situation under control, rescued the teacher and took him into custody,” Hossain said.
Daulatpur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Khaledur Rahman confirmed that he and two other officers were injured during the rescue operation.
“While rescuing the accused teacher from the angry crowd and taking him into custody, three police personnel, including myself, were injured in the attack,” Rahman said.
He said the teacher had been brought to the police station and that authorities would investigate the allegations and initiate legal proceedings after receiving written complaints from the victims’ families.
Dr. Touhidul Hasan Tuhin, Daulatpur Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer, confirmed that the injured police personnel had received preliminary treatment.
Police had not announced formal charges against Ashikullah at the time of the report.
The allegations involving multiple students remain under investigation, and authorities have not yet released findings establishing the extent of the alleged abuse.
The identities of the students have been withheld to protect their privacy.
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