Teen found dead in school dorm

After an eighth grader was found dead at a school dormitory in Lakshmipur’s Ramganj upazila, his family has alleged that senior students beat him to death over accusations of stealing a mobile phone.

Police said they were investigating the incident.

The victim, Mehedi Hasan, 14, was a student of Farid Ahmed Bhuiyan Academy.

According to Mehedi’s father, Zia Uddin of Raghavpur village in Ramganj, a group of senior students tortured his son for hours on Monday night after accusing him of stealing a mobile phone.

“The next day, my son filed a complaint with the school authorities. Then, the senior students tortured my son again in the afternoon and killed him,” he alleged, adding that he would file a case and seek justice.

In a statement issued yesterday, the school authorities acknowledged that Mehedi had been physically and mentally tortured by a group of higher secondary students at the dormitory on Monday night “based on suspicion”, although they did not specify the nature of the suspicion.

According to the statement, Mehedi filed a complaint with the school authorities on Tuesday over the alleged torture, prompting the school to launch an inquiry.

Later that day, around 6:00pm, Mehedi was found hanging in a corridor adjacent to Room No. 614 of the dormitory, the statement said.

The statement did not clarify whether Mehedi was alive when he was found.

Speaking to The Daily Star, schoolteacher Md Ismail Hossain, who was present at the scene, said Mehedi was first taken to a private clinic and later to Chatkhil Upazila Health Complex in Noakhali. He also could not confirm whether the student was alive at the time of rescue.

Shahidul Alam Nayon, resident medical officer at Chatkhil Upazila Health Complex, said Mehedi was brought dead to the hospital around 7:25pm on Tuesday.

“We then informed Chatkhil Police Station,” the doctor said.

Sub-Inspector Sekandar Mollah of the police station said officers recovered the body and sent it to Noakhali General Hospital morgue for an autopsy.

“Black marks were found on the back and neck of the body. The cause of death will be known after the autopsy report,” he said.

In its statement, the school said the alleged torture had placed Mehedi under severe mental pressure, which might have led him to take his own life. However, the statement did not mention any individual by name.

As news of Mehedi’s death spread on Tuesday night, hundreds of guardians and locals gathered at the academy, teacher Ismail said.

Ramganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Kazi Atiqur Rahman said he and police personnel rushed to the institution and brought the situation under control.

“Under the circumstances, the academy has been closed for the next seven days on an emergency basis,” he said.

Meanwhile, relatives of the victim and locals staged a demonstration outside Ramganj Police Station around 1:00pm yesterday, bringing Mehedi’s body with them.

They demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible and maximum punishment.

The academy’s principal, Khondokar Abdul Mannan, could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.

Firoz Uddin Chowdhury, officer-in-charge of Ramganj Police Station, said police were investigating the incident although no case had been filed as of 9:00pm yesterday.

(This story has been updated with the latest information)