Published : 02 Sep 2026, 02:40 PM
Updated : 16 Sep 2026, 11:46 AM
A 7-year-old child has suffered severe physical and psychological trauma after being subjected to repeated sexual abuse at a madrasa in Savar, according to a case filed by his father.
The father filed the case on Aug 23 in a Dhaka court, alleging rape and sexual abuse of his son by 10 students and teachers of the madrasa.
According to the case statement, the abuse began within about three weeks of the child's enrolment in early February and continued until the first week of July.
The complaint alleges the child was first raped in the madrasa toilet, after which other students, upon learning of the assault, also raped him.
Teachers he approached with his complaints allegedly abused him further, warning him against telling anyone.
The child now behaves abnormally at home, crying and screaming constantly, his father told bdnews24.com.
The father demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible for what he described as the destruction of a child's life before it had properly begun.
He said the family took the child to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment after learning of the abuse.
The father filed the case before Judge Masrur Salekin of the Dhaka Metropolitan Child Repression Prevention Tribunal, naming madrasa Muhtamim (director) Zia Ibne Kashem and nine others as suspects.
The tribunal directed Savar Model Police Station to treat the complaint as a first information report (FIR).
Investigating officer Samrul Hossain, a sub-inspector (SI) at the station, said the probe was under way as per the tribunal's directive, but no arrests had been made despite efforts.
Besides Kashem, the accused include two teachers, two Hafez and five students.
The named teachers are maktab department head Qari Rafiqul Islam, 56, and assistant teacher Hafez Maulana Jaber Hossain, 29.
The two Hafez named are Md Sabbir, 27, and Hafez Kamruzzaman, 28.
Following the tribunal's order, the FIR was submitted to the court on Aug 27.
Dhaka Senior Judicial Magistrate Tanvir Ahmed accepted it and ordered a report to be filed by Oct 13.
Prosecution SI Bahaz Uddin told the court that the child recounted the abuse to Senior Judicial Magistrate Afroza Sultana Sweety the same day, and was handed over to his father's custody after giving his statement.
The case statement details severe abuse. The victim's family has demanded exemplary punishment for the suspects, while the madrasa authorities have called for a proper investigation to bring the actual culprits to justice.
Kashem, one of the accused and the madrasa's director, said he had been abroad on a religious mission in the Philippines and had only heard about the case since returning, adding that he had been named the 10th suspect.
"Let's see what happens. They're small children, they do these things among themselves. This is a place where the Quran and Hadith are taught, a religious institution,” he said.
“If someone is tarnishing the madrasa's image, we also want a proper investigation. If there are real culprits, let them be exposed.”
Repeated calls to Kashem seeking comment on whether the madrasa authorities had taken any action against the other accused teachers, Hafez and students went unanswered, with calls disconnecting.
Abul Kalam, the plaintiff's lawyer, said the child had suffered severe physical injury as a result of the assaults, and called for the swift arrest of those responsible for what he called a “brutal act”.
He noted that none of the accused had yet been arrested, and warned they could flee if not apprehended soon.
The child's father said he was in mental distress, adding that his son had shown enthusiasm about attending a large madrasa but that this lasted barely 20 days.
He alleged three more boys beyond the 10 accused were also involved, and that the child had been threatened with death if he told anyone.
Per the case statement, the child was enrolled in February, with classes running from dawn prayers until before night prayers. His father visited him once a week and took him home on Fridays.
About 20 to 21 days after enrolment, the suspects allegedly began targeting the child, subjecting him to physical and psychological abuse.
The statement alleges the first assault took place on the evening of Feb 21, during the third day of Ramadan, when a 20-year-old student raped the child in the toilet. When the child cried, he was threatened with death.
The lengthy statement goes on to describe further assaults by other students and teachers. Another student allegedly raped him five days after the first incident, upon hearing of it.
The abuse allegedly continued until Jul 6, with the child facing retaliatory mistreatment whenever he approached the named teachers to report it.
Word of the abuse eventually spread within the madrasa, and the statement alleges a senior cleric beat one of the accused students after the allegations surfaced.
The child disclosed the full account to his mother on Aug 12.
The father reported the matter to madrasa Director Kashem on the night of Aug 15.
Kashem reportedly told him he would call the national emergency helpline to hand the culprits to police, but asked him not to inform police or journalists.
The plaintiff later learned that Kashem himself had also abused children, and alleged he was avoiding involving police to prevent his own arrest.
The plaintiff has described the suspects as an “organised network”, alleging they were involved in abusing several other students at the madrasa as well.
