An administrative probe body formed over rumors about a teacher beating up students for wearing hijab at Daul Barbakpur High School in Naogaon’s Mahadebpur submitted a report after investigation on Monday.
The committee has found evidence that some teachers and members of the management committee of the school had spread rumors against assistant headmistress Amodini Pal due to internal conflicts.
The head of the committee Abdul Maleque, upazila livestock officer, along with two other members submitted the report to Mohadebpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mizanur Rahman around 8pm.
UNO Mizanur Rahman said the committee did not find proof of students being punished for wearing hijab.
The report said,”The committee believes that the school's assistant headmaster Amodini Pal and physical education teacher Badiul Alam have beaten the students on April 6 because of their school dress. Due to the internal dilemma of the school, a group attempted to divert the incident toward the hijab issue”.
The inquiry committee has recommended legal action against those who have spread the rumor.
The committee also recommended taking legal action against some 150 to 200 people who attacked the school on April 7 triggered by the rumor.
UNO Mizanur Rahman said, “Head teacher of the school Dharani Kanta Barman only show-caused Amodini Pal for the incident which seemed intentional to the committee so it has recommended taking departmental action against him.”
READ: Hijab row: Naogaon school headteacher files GD accusing 150 anonymous people
The report also recommended taking departmental action against teacher Amodini Pal and teacher Badiul Alam for physically beating students in violation of government directives, he said.
Regarding identifying the people who spread the rumors, UNO Mizanur said,”Some people have been identified by the committee. Their names will be disclosed after taking legal actions.”
He said that the observations and recommendations made by the inquiry committee will be taken into account and action will be taken where necessary in this incident.
Earlier on April 6, Amodini Pal, assistant headmistress of the school allegedly beat 16-18 students in the 8th, 9th and 10th classes of the school around 11am for not wearing school uniforms.
Later, it turned into a "hijab" row and spread on social media.
Although some of the girls who got punished were wearing hijab, others who violated the uniform code without wearing hijab, and also some boys (who were dealt with by a different, male teacher), were at the receiving end of the teachers' punishment on the day.