7-year-old child allegedly raped for months by seniors, teacher at Savar

A seven-year-old boy was allegedly raped repeatedly by his seniors and teachers at a madrasa in Savar over several months, according to a case filed with the Dhaka Children Repression Prevention Tribunal on 23 August.

The victim child's father, Md Jashim Uddin, filed the case, following which the court ordered it to be registered with Savar Police Station as a First Information Report (FIR).

However, police have arrested five accused, among whom one has given a confessional statement to the court on Sunday.

The accused who gave the confessional statement is Md Jaber. The other accused are Md Kamrul Islam, Md Bin Muktar, Tahmid Hasan Rafid and Md Sajedul Islam Sayem. The court sent them to a juvenile correction centre, considering their age.

Confirming the development, Savar Police Station Sub-Inspector Md Shamrul Hossain, also the investigation officer, said, “The victim claimed that the incident was true in his statement. We have not yet received the medical report. The investigation will now be conducted as some accused have been arrested and one has confessed to his guilt.”

The complainant's lawyer, Abul Kalam, said the court considered the allegations serious and ordered the immediate registration of the case.

“The other accused who have not been arrested should be arrested immediately and brought to justice,” Abul Kalam said.

What the case statement says

According to the case statement, Md Jashim Uddin admitted his seven-year-old son to the second grade of Markazul Uloom Al-Saryiah Madrasa in Savar in February as a residential student, believing that studying there would help secure his salvation in the hereafter.

However, about 20 to 22 days after admission, the boy allegedly began facing sexual and physical abuse. Jashim alleged that several of the boy's classmates repeatedly raped him over around six months. The child was also allegedly raped by a madrasa teacher while he was under his supervision.

The case alleged that on 21 February, when the victim was coming out of the toilet after urinating, accused Rafi, 20, allegedly took him back into the toilet and raped him twice.

Another accused, Sayem, 22, allegedly did the same to the victim on 24 February after learning about the previous incident.

Later, two other accused, Abu Saeed and Mohammad Bin Muktar, who allegedly slept in the same bed as the victim, also raped him after learning about the earlier incidents on 12 April.

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Another accused, Hasan Bin Mostafa, 25, forcibly took the victim to a toilet while he was sleeping and allegedly raped him on 25 April.

The repeated assaults allegedly caused injuries to the child's anus, and the accused threatened to kill him if he disclosed the incidents.

According to the case statement, after learning about the incidents, assistant teacher Jaber Hossain arranged for the victim to sleep beside him and allegedly began raping the child almost every night thereafter.

Unable to endure the abuse, the child eventually complained to another assistant teacher, Hafiz Sabbir, 27. Instead of helping him, Sabbir allegedly beat him with a cane, while another teacher, Kamruzzaman, also allegedly assaulted the child.

The accused threatened the child that if he told anyone, he would not be allowed to continue in the Hifz section, would fail his examinations and would never be able to become a Hafiz of the Quran, the case claimed.

Regarding the case, the complainant and the victim's father, Jashim Uddin, said his son remained well for only around 20 to 22 days after being admitted to the madrasa. All the men there knew about the incidents and were involved in the crime, he claimed.

“They raped my son during the holy month of Ramadan. When I sought justice from the madrasa authorities, they assured me, but later they protected them. I want justice for my child and the maximum punishment for the accused,” he said.