Student Murder: 3 madrasa teachers, 4 others held in N’ganj

Police yesterday arrested seven people, including three teachers, over their alleged involvement in beating a madrasa student to death in Narayanganj's Siddhirganj upazila.

The dead, Sabbir Hossain, 14, was a student of Rowjatul Uloom madrasa in Rasulbagh Majhipara area of the upazila.

The accused included three teachers of the madrasa -- Shawkat Hossain Sumon, 26, Zobayer Ahmmad, 26, and Abdul Aziz, 42. The other four are classmates of the victim. The Daily Star is not publishing their names since they are minors.

In the case statement, Sabbir's family alleged that the teachers and the madrasa's managing committee tried to cover up the incident and brand it as a case of suicide, police said.

Sabbir was a resident student.

Around 11:30am on Wednesday, Zubayer called Sabbir's mother over phone and informed her that Sabbir had just died by suicide.

Sabbir's parents later received the body and buried it at their family graveyard in their village home in Shantinagar area of the district's Rupganj upazila, said ASM Shameem, sub-inspector of Siddhirganj police station.

During the burial, the family members saw injury marks at different places of the body. They filed the case with the police station yesterday morning and the seven accused were arrested hours later, said the SI.

Contacted, Officer-in-Charge Moshiur Rahman of the police station said Sabbir's family alleged that he was beaten to death. Details would be known after the autopsy, he said. 

"We will appeal before the court seeking permission to exhume the body for the autopsy. Besides, we will produce the three accused teachers before the court with a seven-day remand prayer for each of them. The four students would be sent to the juvenile court."

Talking to The Daily Star, Sabbir's father Jamal Hossain said, "My wife talked to Sabbir around 9:00am on Wednesday over phone. At that time, Sabbir was very normal. Around two and half hours later, madrasa teacher Zobayer called my wife over phone and said Sabbir has died by suicide.

"We rushed to the madrasa. Then the madrasa teachers and managing committee members took us to a separate room. A person identifying himself as a freedom fighter and an Awami League leader asked us to not to go to the police."

Madrasa's Managing Committee President Mohiuddin, a freedom fighter and AL president of Ward-10 of Narayanganj City Corporation, could not be contacted over phone for comments despite repeated attempts.