Dhaka madrasah teacher remanded over student's death, another jailed as relatives demand justice
Victim’s brother’s testimony says the children were frequently beaten and that the victim was treated particularly badly
A Dhaka court placed Hafiz Md Zakaria, a teacher at Rawajatul Ulum Hifzia Noorani Madrasa in Rayerbag, on a three-day remand over the death of 13-year-old student, Md Nayeem Sheikh, whose body was recovered from the madrasah's toilet.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mahbub Alam passed the orders following a hearing on the remand applications today (13 August).
Another teacher arrested in the case, Hafiz Md Zubayer Ahmed, 20, has been sent to jail, while the hearing on his remand application has been referred to the juvenile court.
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After the hearing, members of Nayeem's family gathered at the court premises demanding justice.
As the accused were being taken from the courtroom in police custody, some surrounded them and launched an assault with kicks and punches. They also chanted slogans demanding the death penalty for those accused.
According to the case docunments, Nayeem's body was recovered from the toilet on the third floor of the madrasah at around 1:30pm on 3 August.
Following the incident, Nayeem's mother, Nazma Begum, filed a murder case with Kadamtali Police Station that night. Police later arrested teachers Zakaria and Zubayer from the madrasah.
In today's hearing, the prosecution sought remand for the accused, arguing that Nayeem had allegedly been subjected to repeated abuse and torture at the madrasa.
The plaintiff's lawyer, Harunur Rashid Khan, told the court that Nayeem had previously told his mother that he did not want to continue studying at the madrasa.
The defence lawyers, however, denied the allegations of murder and sexual assault and sought cancellation of the remand application.
Speaking before the court, teacher Zakaria denied involvement in the student's death. He said Nayeem had been unable to complete his studies on the day of the incident and was made to stand for a short time.
According to Zakaria, Nayeem later went to the bathroom before the Duhr prayer. After the prayer, teachers found that he had not returned. They allegedly broke open the bathroom door and found him hanging inside.
The court questioned Zakaria about CCTV footage from the madrasah. He replied that there was no footage because the hard drive had been damaged a long time ago.
During the hearing, the judge also spoke to Nayeem's younger brother, Nazmul.
When asked whether the teachers used to beat or mistreat the students, the child said they were frequently beaten and that his brother was treated particularly badly.
