Madrasa director arrested on charges of rape

Hasan Ali, 69, the director of 'Deener Dishari Mahila Hafezia O Qawmi Madrasa' in Ramchandrapur Union, Gaibandha Sadar Upazila, has been arrested by the Special Response Battalion (SRB) on charges of engaging in immoral conduct with and raping a student at the institution.

This information was disclosed in a press release issued on Sunday (November 1) at 4:00 PM, signed by Biplob Kumar Goswami, Additional Superintendent of Police and Senior Assistant Director (Media) of SRB-13.

Earlier, around 12:30 AM on Sunday (November 1), Hasan Ali was apprehended during an operation at the Dholbhanga bus stand in Palashbari Upazila, near the 'Shyamoli Travels' bus counter.

The arrested individual, Hasan Ali, is the son of the late Kasim Uddin from the Porabari Mor area of Ramchandrapur Union, Gaibandha Sadar Upazila.

According to the press release, citing the First Information Report (FIR), the victim's parents had enrolled their daughter in the residential section of the madrasa about eight years ago, before moving to Dhaka for work. They would travel from Dhaka to Gaibandha every month to visit their daughter and cover her madrasa expenses. 

About six months prior, the madrasa director, Hasan Ali, began making inappropriate advances toward the girl. When the girl informed her parents, they contacted the director, who verbally admitted his wrongdoing and promised that such incidents would not recur. However, on August 28, following the Fajr prayers, around 6:00 AM, Hasan Ali summoned the student to his private residence, located adjacent to the madrasa, where he raped her.

Following the assault, the director threatened the student, warning her not to disclose the incident to anyone, and subsequently severed communication with her parents. The victim later managed to discreetly inform her parents in Dhaka about the incident via mobile phone. 

Following this, on August 31, the student's father filed a rape case at the Gaibandha Sadar Police Station. RAB further stated that following the filing of the case, the unit intensified its intelligence surveillance to apprehend the accused. 

As part of this effort, an operational team from CPC-3 of RAB-13 conducted a raid around 12:30 AM on Sunday (November 1) at the Dholbhanga bus stand in Palashbari Upazila, where they arrested Hasan Ali in front of the 'Shyamoli Travels' bus counter.

The arrested individual, Hasan Ali, has been handed over to the concerned police station for further legal action. The press release also noted that RAB-13 will continue its ongoing operations aimed at curbing serious crimes—such as murder, kidnapping, rape, and sexual assault—within society.

-    NS