'Criminals' torch high school in Gaibandha

A high school that has more than 600 students went up in flames in a remote char of Kunderpara in Sadar upazila in the early hours yesterday.

The fire reduced to ashes seven classrooms and the school office along with furniture, equipment, papers and documents, causing an estimated loss of more than Tk 1 crore.

Local NGO Gono Unnayan Kendra set up Gono Unnayan Academy High School in 2003 on 51 decimals of land. The NGO also arranged boat services for students from remote areas and set up a hostel for poor students and those who come from distant chars, said M Abdus Salam, chief executive of the organisation.

Locals said they had rushed to the school seeing flames, which rose as high as 20 feet. They added despite their maximum efforts they could not save the school.

It is a great loss for the students, whose academic activities have now become uncertain, as this was the only high school in the area, said Abdus Salam, chairman of Kamarjani Union Parishad.

“Some influential people were trying to stage jatra and gambling in the area. Locals stood against the move and held a protest meeting at the school ground on Thursday afternoon. This might be the reason behind a possible arson attack,” said Aftab Hossain, programme manager of the NGO.

Talking to The Daily Star, SSC candidate Bilkis Akhter burst into tears, saying how they would appear in the examination.

“We never thought in our worst nightmare that our school would be gone. Now where would we go for our education?” said Liton Sarker of class X.

“Everything has turned into ashes. We could not save a single sheet. The fire burned 20,000 certificates of last 12 years. How could we recover from the loss?” said Asadur Haque, headteacher of the school.

Mehdi Hasan, officer-in-charge of Gaibandha Sadar police, said they were investigating the matter. If anyone was behind the fire, they would be arrested, he added.