RANGPUR, Sept 27: The authorities have suspended two teachers for allegedly asking female students of Hindu faith to wear hijab at a school in Rangpur city.
Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Rabiul Faysal said the decision was taken at a meeting in the wake of a protest staged on Wednesday by several students of Moslem Uddin Girl's High School in the city's Kamal Kachna area.
He said on Thursday, "The two teachers of the school had asked the students from the Hindu community to wear hijabs or made controversial remarks over the reading of the Bhagavad Gita. It triggered tension among the Hindu students.
"That's why the accused teachers have been suspended with immediate effect. They were asked to submit their written statement within 10 working days. Action will be taken against them pending an investigation."
A video of the students' protest which took place early on Wednesday went viral on social media.
The meeting was subsequently held at the office of the district administrator where the authorities decided to suspend the school's headmaster Mustafizur Rahman and religion teacher Maulana Mustafizar Rahman.
However, the two denied the allegations brought against them.
The students alleged that the headmaster and the teacher of Islam and Moral Education had asked the Hindu pupils to wear hijabs alongside their Muslim peers at a school assembly, which sparked a protest and tension in the locality.
School management committee, political and Hindu community leaders, and parents later took the situation under control.
In the viral video, a female Hindu student alleged that her teacher had asked her to memorise verses from the Quran and wear a hijab, saying she would be subject to harassment by boys otherwise. She said the teachers also swore at them in the classroom.
Several girls alleged that those teachers had also made objectionable remarks about the worship of idols and the Hindu religion.
They alleged the school authorities also used to ignore Gita recitation at the assembly citing time constraints.
Gita recitation resumed following an allegation over the issue but it came to a halt again recently, they claimed.
However, head teacher Mustafizur cited the incident over the wearing of hijabs as a conspiracy.
He said, "We had asked the girls to wear scarves with their school uniform. We never asked them to wear hijabs."
Asked then why are the students making such allegations, he said: "I had filed a case against a group of people over extortion several months ago. This evil group is trying to encourage the students to harass us by altering the word 'scarves' to 'hijabs.'"
The headmaster also demanded measures alongside a proper investigation.
Maulana Mustafizar said, "I teach Islam. I don't attend Hindu religion classes. An influential individual is conducting such things due to his failure to appoint his brother as a teacher of the school." —bdnews24.com
