Probe body formed over harassment of women Kabaddi players in Ctg

Chattogram district administration has formed a three-member committee to investigate the complaint of harassment against Nipa Chowdhury, the headmistress of Yakub Ali Dobhash Girls' High School, in the incident of lashing out at women kabaddi players over their hairstyles.

The committee was formed on Friday (24 September) night with Chattogram district education officer Muhammad Faridul Alam Hossaini as convener and district sports officer Md Harun or Rashid and  Chittagong women affairs directorate deputy director Madhabi Barua as members.

Last Friday, the incident of harassment went viral in the media.

The committee has been given three working days to submit a report, Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Mominur Rahman told The Business Standard.

The committee has already started working. Necessary action will be taken after receiving the report, he added.

Kabaddi team girls of Yakub Ali Girls School in Chattogram city were allegedly beaten up by the headmistress for wearing French braid for taking photographs for joining the 49th national sports competition.

The incident came to light after Zahida Parvin, physical training teacher at the school, shaved her head and posted a picture on her Facebook page on Thursday in protest against the "assault" on the girls.

Zahida Parvin alleged that she was also forced to resign from the school for her protest.

In her Facebook post, she said, "A Kabadi match was scheduled for 8 September in the national sports competition where our school team was to participate. For that, on 7 September, the girls wore jerseys to take a group photograph to send to the coordinator of the sports competition.

"A girl of the Kabaddi team made a French braid on her hair. For that, Nipa Chowdhury, headmistress of the school, scolded and beat up her.

"At that time, I was in the washroom. Hearing the headmistress' scream, I rushed to the spot and saw her pull at the girl's hair.  Two girls were seen crying."

Zahida further said, "The headmistress also scolded me for asking the girls to make braids."

She also said because of a model test at the school, her Kabadi team reached the sports venue 35 minutes later. "The opponent team got a walkover for that although we had informed the authorities about our delayed arrival."