Attorney General on Tongi Madrasa Case: No One Can Take the Law into Their Own Hands, Justice Must Come Through Legal Process

Attorney General Md Ruhul Quddus Kajol has commented amid the debate surrounding allegations that a seven-year-old student was sexually abused at a madrasa in Tongi and that the accused teacher was beaten. He said that if there is an allegation of a crime, it must be tried through the legal process; no one can take the law into their own hands.

Speaking to reporters at his office on Sunday (October 25), the Attorney General said Bangladesh has specific laws and legal remedies to deal with various situations. In his words, very few countries in the world have so many laws, and there is no situation in Bangladesh that a law does not address — a remarkable fact.

Referring to the allegation at the Qariul Quran International Madrasa in the Madhya Auchpara area of Tongi, he said that if a person commits a crime, they will suffer punishment for it, and if they are wronged, they will be recognised as innocent. No one should take the law into their own hands.

Calling for people's respect and affection for teachers to remain intact, the Attorney General said it must be ensured that children do not feel unsafe with teachers at educational institutions. Noting that teachers serve as alternative guardians in place of parents, he said the entire teaching community should not be targeted over one or two isolated incidents.

He also remarked that parents' emotions are natural if their child is harmed. But in his view, the whole matter can be resolved within the legal framework.

The Attorney General said he had learned that a case has been filed over the Gazipur incident and is under investigation. Since the legal process has begun, he hoped the matter would be finally settled there.

According to the family's allegation, the first-grade student was sexually abused on the stairs of the ground floor of the madrasa in Madhya Auchpara, Tongi, on October 19. After the incident, the child did not want to go to the madrasa. When family members asked why, she initially said nothing; later, under her parents' questioning, she described what had happened.

On the afternoon of October 21, the child's relatives went to the madrasa and questioned the accused teacher. Several videos of the teacher being beaten spread on Facebook from Thursday.

In a 24-second video, several people are seen questioning the teacher inside the madrasa. The teacher is heard saying he has a different kind of relationship with the students — with everyone, especially Class One. At one point, when he uttered the word 'kiss', the child's relatives began slapping and beating him, asking what he meant by it.

As word of the incident spread, local people also gathered there and the teacher was beaten. On receiving the news, police went to the spot, rescued him and took him to the police station.

The child's father filed a case under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act. The accused teacher has been in jail since his arrest in that case.

The incident has sparked discussion on social media and in various quarters. Against that backdrop, the chief law officer's remarks have brought two points forward together — ensuring that allegations are tried through the legal process, and refraining from taking the law into one's own hands in anger.

The Attorney General has at the same time stressed keeping both children's safety and respect for teachers intact. In his view, it is essential to ensure both that children feel safe at educational institutions and that people's respect for teachers is not destroyed because of anyone's conduct.

The case is now under investigation. The Attorney General expressed hope that the matter will be finally settled through the legal process once the investigation is complete.