Hriday Mondal's son goes back to school after 19 days

Hriday Chandra Mondal, an assistant teacher at Binodpur Ram Kumar High School in Munshiganj Sadar Upazila, languished in jail for 19 days before getting out on bail yesterday.

Family members were scared at the time. His son Shrestha Mondal stopped going to school for 19 days.

Today he resumed schooling, a day after his father was released from Munshiganj jail.

Shrestha is a student at the very same school where Hriday teaches. However, accusations have arisen against outsiders of insulting his family members.

On March 20, Hriday was talking to students about science in the school. There were conversations with students about science and religion where he stated that while religion depended on faith, science was backed by evidence.

At the end of the class, some students made a written complaint to the headmaster. There were allegations of "hurting religious sentiments".

Shrestha Mondal, a student of Class 5, said, "I stopped going to school for 19 days. I went to school the day after the incident but students from classes 6-10 started calling me 'son of the accused'. After coming home, I informed my mother and she did not let me go to school anymore.

"Since then I have been inside the house all day. Not being able to go to school made me quite sad. And my father was also in prison back then.

He was released on Sunday. I am not facing any difficulties going to school today. No one is even calling me 'son of the accused'. None of my friends asked me any questions in that regard."

He then told The Daily Star that his house was adjacent to the school, so he had no problem returning home.

Alauddin Ahmed, the headmaster of the school, spoke about Shrestha Mondal attending classes for the first time in a while.

"Shrestha is the first boy of Class 5 Section B and is the son of teacher Hriday Mondal. He is a very talented student. His family members were afraid to leave the house after that incident. He stopped going to school over that. Now a teacher of the school has been assigned the task. The teacher will make sure to pick him up from home and walk him home after school," the headmaster said.

Meanwhile, Hriday Mondal's mother-in-law Renuka Hawladar said, "I was walking on the terrace of our house at 6:00 am. At that time, a young man with a brick in his hand addressed me and said, 'Don't come out of the house'. He then went ahead and verbally abused me. I immediately went back to the house in fear."

Anita Saha, a domestic help who works at Hriday's house, said, "Last Sunday, when I was near the (Hriday's) house around 1:00 pm, four-five young men stared at me dead in the eyes. I went inside the house in fear."

Munshiganj Additional Superintendent of Police Sumon Dev said, "There is no chance in the slightest that the safety of the (Hriday's) family will be breached. We are monitoring all the time.

"Police will not allow any incident to happen that would make teacher Hriday's family insecure. If we are asked to provide him with full-time security, it will be considered. However, even if he does not ask for it, police will provide him security as they see fit."

Hriday was released from Munshiganj jail yesterday after securing bail.

Two days after the complaint was filed, students protested on school premises and police were called in to deal with the situation.

Soon after, Hriday was arrested by the police and taken to Munshiganj Sadar Police Station.

A case was filed against him the very day, on March 22 at 10:30 pm by Asad Mia, an office assistant (electrician) of the same school for "hurting religious sentiments".

Following a bail hearing in the case last afternoon, he was granted bail.

He was released from jail in the afternoon and went to Dhaka for treatment.