Chained madrasa boy rescued, accused teacher suspended

The local administration rescued a chained seven-year-old student of Sarutia Jame-ul-Ulum Madrasa in the municipality area of Bhangura upazila under the district on Monday.

The next day, the authorities suspended the accused -- Mufti Abdul Aziz, religious teacher of the madrasa.

Aziz had kept Md Siam Hossain, son of Anis Hossain of Sarutia village in Bhangura upazila, locked with chain for a few days to prevent his fleeing from the madrasa, said locals.

Hearing scream, locals rushed to the madrasa on Monday afternoon and found the boy chained inside a room.

"When we asked the reason behind such torture, the fellow students said Mufti Huzur (Abdul Aziz) punished Siam as he often flees from the madrasa. Then locals informed the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of the matter," said a villager.

"We arranged freeing the boy immediately and handed him over to his parents on Monday evening. Mufti Abdul Aziz has been suspended from the madrasa on charge of torturing the minor boy," said UNO Md Shamsul Alam.

"The accused fled the area after the incident. I asked the officer in charge of Bhangura Police Station to take step after investigation," he said.

As this correspondent tried to contact Abdul Aziz through his cell phone, his brother Md Abdullah received the call and said Aziz was not there.

Safi Ahmed, secretary of the madrasa managing committee, said, "The boy tried to escape from learning and his parents asked the madrasa teachers to make him take lessons. The accused teacher could not realise that such punishment is inhuman."