A madrasa teacher in Tongi, Gazipur, was sent to jail on Thursday following allegations of sexual harassment involving a seven-year-old female student. Moslem Ahmed, 30, who serves as the vice-principal of the madrasa, was accused of sexually harassing the first-grade student on October 20. According to the girl’s family, the incident took place on the ground-floor staircase of the madrasa, where Moslem allegedly threatened to beat her if she disclosed the abuse.

The girl subsequently stopped attending the madrasa for three days, and upon inquiry by her parents, she revealed the alleged harassment. The girl’s father went to the madrasa on Wednesday afternoon to confront Moslem. As news of the incident spread, local residents gathered at the madrasa, beat Moslem, and handed him over to police. Law enforcement officers from Tongi West Police Station rescued and arrested him. He was later produced before a court, which ordered his detention under charges filed by the girl’s father pursuant to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, police officials said.

Several videos showing the attack on Moslem have been widely circulated on social media. In one brief clip, Moslem is heard referring to having a “different kind of relationship” with students, particularly first-graders, a statement that prompted some of the girl’s relatives to assault him. Another longer video shows several people beating Moslem while others attempt to intervene.

The girl’s family alleged the madrasa authorities failed to take any action after being informed of the abuse. However, Almas Hossain, the madrasa’s founder and principal, disputed these claims, describing the incident as a deliberate attempt by a group of around 15-16 people to damage the institution's reputation. He also alleged that several teachers and security personnel were assaulted while trying to protect Moslem. Furthermore, he claimed the madrasa office was vandalized and that property worth approximately Tk 17 lakh and five mobile phones were stolen during the unrest.

The girl’s father refuted the looting allegations and stated that he has received death threats through social media since the incident, leaving him feeling unsafe. Tongi West Police Station Officer-in-Charge Arifur Rahman said the police would conduct a thorough investigation and take appropriate action as needed.