Madarsa in eye of molest storm

Madarsa in eye of molest storm
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Malda: No less than 54 residential students at a madarsa — all of them minors — in Malda’s English Bazar have lodged a molestation complaint against the madarsa chairman. Police have started a probe, though no one has been arrested yet. A Class VII student in Jamia Fatemahtuj Jahorar Mahila Madrasha at Babupur had written to her mother on February 24, saying that the chairman, Nurul Islam, had made “obscene comments” to her. She alleged that Islam often called her to his private chamber and made lewd proposals. She appealed to her mother to take her home. Islam, however, scoffed at the allegations. “It is a conspiracy by a section of the teachers. The girls were misled,” he said. On Friday, a complaint was lodged with Malda SP Satyajit Bandyopadhyay by the 54 girls, all students in classes VI and VII. They claimed that Islam often called them to his chamber and “touched them indecently”. The letter that the girl had written to her mother was also submitted to the SP. The girls alleged that they were denied food and forced to do chores as punishment by the chairman if they did not go to his private chamber. “Women officers have been sent to talk to the girls. If the allegations are true, we shall file a case against the chairman,” said the SP. State minorities welfare minister, Abdus Sattar, said: “It seems the madarsa is not recognised by our board.”