Child abuse: Sharmin Academy manager sent to jail, remand hearing 27 Jan

A Dhaka court has sent the manager of Sharmin Academy, Pabitra Kumar Barua, to jail in a case filed over the abuse of a four-year-old child at the school in the capital's Nayapaltan area.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junaid passed the order today (23 January) and fixed 27 January for a hearing on a police plea seeking his remand, according to Sub-Inspector (SI) Roknuzzaman of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police prosecution division.

The investigation officer of the case, SI Md Nur Islam of Paltan Police Station, produced the accused before the court and sought a five-day remand for interrogation.

According to the remand plea, Pabitra Kumar Barua, manager of Sharmin Academy and also the husband of the principal, was arrested at around 4:30am on 23 January in the Mirpur-6 area.

Police said that during preliminary interrogation after his arrest, the allegations were found to be credible. Investigators also claimed to have obtained sufficient evidence and witness statements against him and another accused who is currently absconding.

Child abuse: Sharmin Academy manager arrested in Dhaka

The application stated that important information had already been obtained during questioning and that further interrogation was necessary in the interest of the investigation.

Earlier, the case was filed by the child's mother at Paltan Police Station under Section 70 of the Children Act, 2013, naming Pabitra Kumar Barua and Sharmin Jahan, principal of Sharmin Academy, as accused.

According to the complaint, the four-year-old child was admitted to the playgroup class of Sharmin Academy in Nayapaltan about two months ago, and classes began on 11 January. On the day of the incident, 18 January, the child's mother dropped him off at school in the morning.

Around 1pm, when she went to the school to pick him up, she allegedly saw principal Sharmin Jahan forcefully holding her son's hand, while Pabitra Kumar Barua was sitting on a chair nearby.

The mother said she found her child pale, terrified and crying. After taking him home, the child repeatedly told her that he had been beaten by both the teacher and the "uncle," and alleged that he was threatened with strangling underfoot and his mouth stitched if he told anyone. The child reportedly refused to return to school.

The parents later returned to the school and collected CCTV footage. According to the complaint, the footage shows the principal holding the child by the hand, taking him into an office room and physically assaulting him by repeatedly hitting his face and cheeks.

As the child screamed in an attempt to escape, the principal's husband was seen approaching with a stapler, threatening to staple the child's mouth and continued to assault him while pressing him against a sofa.

The complaint further states that the child was subjected to prolonged physical and mental abuse. That night, he reportedly suffered pain in his head, neck and ears, experienced hearing difficulties, and was later taken to a hospital for medical treatment.

On 20 January, a video of the abuse went viral on social media after being shared on Facebook by Advocate Saleh Uddin.

The footage shows a woman, believed to be a teacher, in a pink saree, dragging a four to five-year-old boy in uniform into an office and repeatedly slapping and scolding him as he sits on a sofa.

The manager of the academy, seated behind a desk, is seen approaching with a stapler and threatening to staple the child's mouth.

The CCTV footage is dated 18 January at 12:51pm. The child appears visibly terrified, while the woman is seen smirking, drawing condemnation online.