2 students tied to tree in Panchagarh, housewife’s house locked by locals

Locals have locked a housewife in her house on charges of tying two children to a tree at a government primary school in Atwari upazila of Panchagarh. Later, the police arrived and brought the situation under control. The incident took place at Lakshmidwar Government Primary School in Balrampur Union of Atwari upazila on Monday (July 28) afternoon. It is learned that third-grade students Chayan and Masum were playing with their classmates in the school grounds during tiffin. Since the school did not have a boundary wall, the ball fell on the tin fence of a nearby house. This angered the housewife of the house, Poppu Rani. It is alleged that she took the two children and tied their hands and feet to a tree at home. Anarul Islam, the father of the victim Masum, said, “It is inhumane to tie my son up in such a trivial incident.” We want justice for this.’ Locals condemned the incident and demanded exemplary punishment for the culprits. However, there are allegations that one party is trying to divert the incident into a different sector. Assistant teachers of the school, Jayashree Roy and Mousumi Barman, said, ‘On Monday, during tiffin time, the children were playing. Then, something like a ball or a stone fell on the tin roof of a house. Angered by this, a woman took Chayan and Masum home and tied them to a tree. After learning about the matter, we went to rescue the children and brought them back to the school. The woman later admitted her mistake. We know that children are a little naughty, but it was not right to behave in such an inhumane way.’ The teachers said that such incidents are happening because the school does not have a boundary wall, which could create a bigger risk in the future. Meanwhile, a one-minute and one-second video of the incident went viral on social media, which sparked further outrage. In the video, two child students are seen tied to a tree with their hands and feet tied, and other students are standing around. It is learnt that after the incident, the locals rescued the two children and brought them to the school for mediation. Although the accused woman admitted her mistake, tension spread in the area. At one stage, the locals locked the accused housewife in a room. Later, the police and administration went to bring the situation under control. Balrampur Union Parishad member Khairul Islam said, “After learning about the matter, we sat for mediation. When the accused woman apologized, the family of one child forgave her, but the mediation remained incomplete as the other family did not forgive her. After that, some people created chaos and attacked us. We want a fair trial.” Kalidas Chandra Roy, the husband of the accused woman, said, “The incident happened due to a misunderstanding. However, what happened is in no way acceptable. My wife and family have apologized. Now one party is trying to humiliate me socially.” Assistant Upazila Education Officer of Atwari Upazila Md. Abdul Manik Chowdhury said, “One of the children is partially disabled. Therefore, tying her up like this is a violation of human rights. The police and administration went to calm the situation. The school authorities have been instructed to look into the matter seriously.’ Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Md. Arifuzzaman said, ‘Upon receiving the news, the police went and brought the situation under control with the help of the local chairman. The OC has confirmed that necessary action will be taken if a complaint is filed against the accused.’