Masked men burn down Shibir-run school

Criminals burn the furniture, documents and papers of Lighthouse School at Karotia in Tangail Sadar upazila early yesterday. Photo: STAR

Criminals vandalised and burnt a school at Karotia in Tangail Sadar upazila early yesterday.
At midnight, a masked gang went to Lighthouse School, run by Islami Chhatra Shibir men at Rokeya Manzil of Karatia Jamindar Bari, police said.
They threw the tables, chairs and benches, as well as documents and papers out of the school building and set those afire. They also set fire to four classrooms of the institution, police said.
Being informed, fire service men from Tangail rushed to the spot and doused the fire.
"We set up the school at Rokeya Manzil of Karotia Zamindar Bari after renting it from Wazed Ali Khan Panni Banting, the motowalli (supervisor) of the endowment estate, following house rent rules," Jahanur Chowdhury, principal of the school, said.
"However, a dispute took place between the motowalli and his younger brother Morshed Ali Khan Panni Tipu over the matter and Tipu recently directed the school authorities to leave the building.
“We were making preparations to shift the school to another place but a gang burnt it before our exit, making education of 550 students of the school uncertain,” the principal said.
"I have visited the spot. Nobody is yet to file any case in this regard. However, we have imposed Section 144 to stave off any unwanted incident as a tense situation is prevailing among the supporters of the two feuding brothers,” Nazrul Islam, officer in-charge of Tangail Model police station, said.
Ahsan Habib Imroz, former international affairs secretary of the central unit of Shibir and also a resident of Karatia, founded Lighthouse School in 2000.
A police team from Tangail Model police station detained Imroz and his younger brother Firoz Chowdhury from their Chowdhurypara residence on January 9.
Police produced them before a court in Tangail after filing a case against them under Section 54 on the same day. The court sent them to jail.