Sexual Assault on Student
Porimol placed on five-day remand
A Dhaka court yesterday placed Porimol Joydhor, a sacked teacher of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, on a five-day remand to learn if anybody else were behind his violating a class X student on June 17.
Metropolitan Magistrate Shamima Parvin passed the order after Shahadat Hossain, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Badda Police Station, produced Joydhor with a 10-day remand prayer.
The court accepted five-day remand, cancelling the bail petition of the accused.
The school authorities, following days of demonstrations by guardians, fired Porimol Tuesday. He was arrested on sexual assault charge the next day.
Arrest of Porimol, a teacher of Bangla of the school's Bashundhara branch, was made after the victim's father filed a case against him with Badda Police Station Tuesday.
Adv Mahmuda Aktar of Human Rights Foundation who moved the case on the victim's behalf said they prayed for remand, as it is important to establish the main cause of the incident, to know who else were behind it, and to recover the videos Porimol recorded during the violation.
She also said they learned from the students and their guardians that he had committed such incidents before, which were not disclosed.
Meanwhile, some guardians alleged the school authorities did not take any action against the accused initially, as he is from Gopalganj. Porimol is said to have link with Bangladesh Chhatra League.
The guardians also questioned Porimol's appointment made in September last year.
They demanded exemplary punishment to Porimol, expressing fear that such incident may recur if the culprit goes unpunished.
"We are scared about our children. Occurrence of such a heinous incident in a reputed school is regrettable, and it is even more regrettable when we see the authorities kept mum about taking any decision", said a guardian.
Contacted, Husne Ara Begum, principal of the school, said the principal cannot appoint or dismiss any teacher as the governing body holds the authority.
She said there is no scope to manipulate the recruitment, as the candidates sat for examination with code numbers which are decoded only during viva voce.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha (BNPS) demanded exemplary punishment to the culprit.
In a statement, BNPS also demanded punishment to the school authorities for giving shelter to the accused teacher, and urged law enforcement agencies to be alert so that the victim and her family would not be harassed in the name of trial.
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