Teacher gets life term for raping student

A Kushtia court yesterday sentenced a Qawmi madrasa teacher to life term imprisonment for raping a class eight female student in the district's Mirpur upazila early last month.

The court also fined the convict Tk 1 lakh and ordered the money to be provided to the victim.

The convict is Abdul Quader, superintendent of Sirajul Islam Darul Uloom Maryam Nesha Women Madrasa in Poradaha of Mirpur upazila. It is a residential madrasa.

According to prosecution, Abdul Quader called the resident student at his office room around 8:00am on October 3 and raped her. He raped the girl again at night and threatened her not to disclose the matter.

But the girl told a friend about the incident on October 5 when she fell sick. The girl's parents also disclosed the matter to some locals and relatives. Then, some furious locals and relatives vandalised the madrasa on October 5 evening.

The victim's father then filed a case with Mirpur police station the same night against the teacher.

The teacher fled the scene soon after the mob attack, but police arrested him around 9:30pm on October 5.

A judicial magistrate in Kushtia sent Quader to jail after police produced him before the court on October 6.

Evidence of rape was found following a medical test of the victim at Kushtia general hospital on October 7, said police.

The accused also confessed to raping her before the court, they added.

Police submitted the charge sheet on October 13. The court accepted it on November 12.

There were a total of 13 witnesses, all of them were students of the madrasa.

The judge at the court of women and children repression prevention Munshi Moshiur Rahman handed down the verdict in presence of the convict.

Lawyers and locals hailed the speedy verdict. Members from the victim's family also expressed satisfaction at it.