Sexual harassment charges against a dead man

A man, dead for eighteen years, now stands accused of sexually harassment of a schoolgirl in Magura, because someone else faked his identity and continued to work in his place without being discovered all this while.

Abdur Rauf Biswas of Faridpur died in 1997-- but for the school where he worked as Member of Lower Subordinate Staff (MLSS) , he never died.

The Alokdiya Pukuria Secondary School in Magura now accuses him of sexual harassment of a sixth standard girl and has even sent a notice to his ancestral residence.

It now transpires that Biswas never 'died' in the school records -- Akbar Hossain of Magura’s Pukuria village, continued to pose as Abdur Rauf Biswas and work in his place.

Now Hossain is said to have sexually harassed the schoolgirl but the school has fired off the notice to Abdur Rauf Biswas who died eighteen years ago.

The faux pas has left the school in a spot and triggered a furore across the Magura district.

Shamsur Rahman Mollah of the school's management committee and its sports teacher Mohammed Mujahid told bdnews24.com that Abdur Rauf Biswas was the younger brother of the school's former headmaster Abdul Gafur Biswas, who gave him the job in 1974.

But Abdur Rauf Biswas never came to the school for duty, though he continued to draw his salary. Abdul Gafur Biswas died in 1982 but Rauf continued the way he had when his brother was headmaster.

Even the next headmaster Golzar Hossain, who replaced Gafur, turned a blind eye to this malpractice.

Pukuria villager Nazrul Islam told bdnews24.com that when Rauf died in 1997, Akbar Hossain was drafted in as his 'proxy'. Islam says some in the school's management have supported this 'proxy' employment.

When bdnews24.com contacted Akbar Hossain after he was identified as such, he insisted he was Abdur Rauf Biswas, even after a relative of Rauf, Abul Hossain said his uncle had died 18 years ago. "But it is really unfortunate and dishonourable that Rauf stands blamed for sexual harassment of a schoolgirl when he is long dead and gone.

Akbar Hossain is unfazed. "I am an illiterate man, headmaster Golzar Hossain gave me this work and I am doing it. I get a salary at the end of the month and I am happy with that." 

Golzar Hossain, who is now retired, told bdnews24.com that neither Rauf nor Akbar had been appointed, when he was in charge. "I am not involved with this malpractice." 

About the complaint of sexual harassment, the school's current headmaster Asit Sikdar said that the girl's father has lodged a verbal complaint against the peon. "So we have issued a showcause notice to the him." 

Sikdar said though some would call him as Akbar, he was under the impression that his real name is Abdur Rauf.

"I am honestly not aware whether Akbar is actually working for a dead person."

Abu Sayeed Sana, the chairperson of the school's management committee, says he is also not aware of the proxy employment.

"I have no idea whether someone in the school is working in somebody else's name. But if we find proof of such a fraud, appropriate action would be taken."