Case filed against madrasa teacher as 11-year-old rape victim found pregnant

A case has been filed against a madrasa teacher in connection with the rape and subsequent pregnancy of an 11-year-old student in Madan upazila of Netrokona.

Although the case was filed last Thursday, police have not yet been able to arrest the accused teacher.

According to local residents, the complaint, and police sources, the accused teacher established a female Qawmi madrasa four years ago. The child lived at her maternal grandfather’s house and studied there. Her father had left her mother and gone elsewhere, and her mother works as a domestic help in Sylhet to earn a living.

According to the case statement and the child’s account as conveyed by her relatives, on the afternoon of 2 November last year, after madrasa classes ended, the accused teacher called the girl and asked her to sweep the mosque adjacent to the madrasa. At that time, other teachers and students had already gone home. After she finished sweeping, he called her into a room, threatened her, and raped her. He warned that if she told anyone, he would kill her, her mother, and her younger brothers. He raped the child multiple times in this manner.

Recently, the child began to feel unwell and showed physical changes. Her mother returned from Sylhet and, after questioning her, learned about the matter. On 18 April, the child was taken to a clinic in Madan upazila town. After necessary tests, physicians confirmed that she was pregnant. The girl’s mother then filed a case at the police station on Thursday.

Sayma Akter, the physician who examined the child, said, “The child came to the clinic with her mother. She complained that her abdomen felt heavy and something seemed to be moving suddenly. After examination, we found that she was about seven months pregnant. When I repeatedly asked her, ‘Who did this to you?’ there was a clear expression of fear on her face. She only said, ‘The teacher, the teacher did this.’”

The physician added that the 11-year-old girl is under four and a half feet tall and weighs only 29 kilograms. The biparietal diameter (head size) of the fetus is 74 millimeters, which is much larger compared to the child’s pelvis. In other words, the size of the unborn baby’s head is significantly larger than the girl’s narrow pelvic structure, creating a serious physical risk. In addition, her blood hemoglobin level is only 8.2.

Delivering a baby with a large head through a narrow pelvis is not normally possible, which poses extremely high risks for both mother and child. For such a young patient, even determining the correct dose of anesthesia or medication for a cesarean section is a major challenge for physicians.

The child’s mother told Prothom Alo over the phone on Monday morning, “My husband left me. I struggle to raise my three sons and one daughter. I work in people’s homes in Sylhet to survive. I left my daughter at my father’s house and worked hard to educate her at the madrasa. I never imagined even in my dreams that the teacher could do something so inhuman to my child. I want exemplary punishment for him.”

Attempts to contact the accused teacher on his mobile phone were unsuccessful as it was found switched off. It has been learned that since the incident was reported on 18 April, Aman Ullah has fled his home with his wife and children.

The officer in charge of Madan Police Station, Md Tarikul Islam, told Prothom Alo, “I have joined here only two days ago. I have learned that such a case has been filed. Operations to arrest the accused are ongoing.”