When teachers turn sexual predators

Nusrat Jahan Rafi lost her battle for life but not her indomitable courage to fight injustice and evil. Indeed, she did not back out of the charge of sexual assault she brought against the principal of Sonagazi Islamia Senior Fazil Madrasa where she studied. To her, the principal was an evil incarnate and she stood her ground when the principal's henchmen or henchwomen tried to persuade her to withdraw the case against him. Instead, the upright girl declared she would fight to the last for her honour and truth. She had every reason to be morally indignant at the man who was supposed to be the custodian of the educational institution considered the second home to all who come to learn there.

Social rot has been going deeper. When men running educational institutions are charged with sexual attacks on their students or taking hostage of a student for ransom, one cannot help asking if those beasts in human form have a right to live in society. What is loathsome is that a man with a history of a series of nefarious acts including defalcation of fund could manage to hold his post and status. He allegedly used political manoeuvring and money as and when necessary to appease influential people no matter even if they were across the political divide.

The most sinister of his schemes was to keep the officer-in-charge of Sonagazi in good humour. He has been, if the reports are not exaggerated, sinning to the fullest and when he thought he could go away with his crimes as before, Nusrat protested and a case was filed against him. Enraged the alleged debauch and deviant most likely triggered his engines -- his accomplices -- to finish the morally righteous girl off. Thus she was tricked into the trap of the conspirators. When Nusrat was misinformed that her friend was being beaten on the roof, she went there to face the perpetrators. But there she was set ablaze on refusal of withdrawing the charge against the principal.

In another such incident, a headmaster of a primary school allegedly sexually abused a girl student of class V several times. When the girl finally disclosed the name of her abuser, the headmaster would be arrested. The law enforcers are duty-bound to protect the victims but this expectation is often belied. The OC of Sonagazi tried his best to pass the gruesome incident of setting Nusrat on fire off as a case of suicide. Thank God he was not successful in his macabre design.

However, withdrawal of such men in uniform and closing them are no solution to the problem. Closing such elements with police headquarters or other offices does not ensure any punishment. After sometime they may be assigned duties elsewhere. Nothing short of exemplary punishment for their role in the heinous acts will deter their kind.

In yet another case, a student was taken hostage by his madrasa principal and another teacher. The duo demanded Tk 0.3 million from the boy's parents. How savage, the boy named Mamun was killed before his parents could pay the ransom!

These are incidents that expose the ugly side of this society. Some devils are growing up with no respect for laws and values. If teachers join the bandwagon of these rapists and gangsters, how can society get going? The value system is increasingly brought to disrepute. It is time society went for some soul-searching and mended fences against the dubious means through which the evils enter and take possession of people's souls.