Staff Reporter :
The Vice-Principal (VP) and all male employees of Mohammadpur Preparatory Girls’ School and College were relieved off their duties on Saturday, following the incidents of sexual assault of two minor schoolgirls.
The two removed employees Gopal and Shariful are allegedly responsible for the incidents.
The institution’s Vice-Principal Zeenmatun Nesa has also been relieved off her duties after her comments on the issue upset the guardians. The authorities of the Trustee Board of the institution made the decision at a meeting as hundreds of students and guardians took to the street and staged protest against the sexual assault, said M Tamim, Trustee Board member of the institution.
Tamim also announced the formation of an enquiry committee to probe the allegations of sexual harassment and promised punishment of those found guilty. Guardians erupted in furious protests after reports of sexual harassment of a minor girl in an under-construction portion of the institution on May 5 surfaced.
Already, women employees have started to replace the male employees relieved off duties.
In face of protest, the authorities announce closure of the institution till May 25. But Principal Belayet Hossain told the journalist that the school will remain close for the Shab-e-Meraj and the summer vacation. Though the school was scheduled to enter summer vacation from next week, sources said.
Meanwhile, the school authorities fromed a three-member probe committee to investigate the allegations but guardians were not satisfied. Alleging that Belayet Hossain was trying to hush up the incident, the guardians gathered in front of the school on Saturday afternoon and started to demonstrate.
The Principal said that employee ‘Gopal’, accused of sexually harassing the minor girl student, had been suspended along with another employee Shariful Islam who had allegedly roughed up a guardian.
He said all those guilty would be punished after the report of the probe committee was available.
The guardians told the principal that though the probe committee had been asked to submit its report within three days, that had not happened. The guardians were also upset with Vice Principal Zeenatun Nesa for having allegedly told the police that a section of the guardians were trying to ruin the reputation of the institution.
Some guardians assaulted the principal when he was returning to his office. He sought refuge in the vice-principal’s office but angry guardians smashed window glasses there.
It is then that Trustee Board Member Tamim announced the decision to take the male employees off work and also asking Vice-Principal Zeenatun Nesa to stand down. That appeared to placate the guardians and the situation could be brought under control.
Tamim also said CCTV cameras were installed across the school’s premises. A writ petition has been filed in the High Court over the incident and it may come up for hearing on Sunday.
A grade one student was sexually assaulted on May 5 and another student of grade five was fell prey of similar crime last year. The news of harassment of the grade five student surfaced after the latest incident.
