Student found dead, hanging in Ctg madrasa

Police recovered the hanging body of a student from a madrasa in Chattogram city's Bayazid area around midnight on Wednesday.

The victim, Habibur Rahman, 11, was the son of Anisur Rahman of Khagrachhari's Dighinala upazila. He used to stay in the dorm of Abu Bakar Siddique Al Islamia Madrasa, said Rezaul Islam, sub-inspector of Bayazid Bostami Police Station.

On information from the madrasa authorities, police went there and found the body hanging from the bars of a window on the third floor of the madrasa mosque, he said.

“His neck was tied to a scarf but his legs were touching the floor with the knees partially folded. There was an injury mark on his left knee,” the official added.

Enraged by the incident, some local youths padlocked the Qawmi madrasa gate yesterday morning.

Police unlocked it later in the day and took the five teachers of the madrasa, including the principal, to the police station for quizzing.

Talking to this correspondent yesterday, locals alleged that the madrasa teachers beat up students regularly. 

Jahir Alam, a local, said, “I enrolled my son in the madrasa a couple of years ago. Failing to endure the torture, he fled the institution and returned home. Later, I enrolled him in another madrasa.”

Seeking anonymity, a student of the madrasa, said the madrasa students studied inside the mosque, but its third floor usually remained empty.

“On Wednesday night, Habibur could not be found when we were studying in the mosque. Then one of our teachers sent a senior student to look for him. After sometime, he came back running and told us about the hanging body,” the student said.

The Daily Star could not contact the madrasa authorities for comments as police detained the teachers.

Ataur Rahman Khandakar, officer-in-charge of Bayazid Bostami Police Station, said the body was sent to Chittagong Medical College morgue for autopsy.

While visiting the spot, Mizanur Rahman, additional superintendent of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (north), said they were investigating the incident.

“We are waiting for the post-mortem report. If [Habibur's] family does not file a case, we will lodge the case,” he said. This correspondent could not communicate with the victim's family for comments.