Maulana Mohammad Abdul Bari, the 50-year-old founder of a madrasa in Savar, Dhaka, is on the run following allegations that he raped a 13-year-old madrasa student. In connection with the incident, police have arrested his wife and madrasa director, Tofhatul Jannah, on charges of assisting in the rape and attempting to cover it up. She was sent to court on Thursday.
According to the case statement, the rape occurred in a room inside Tofhatul Jannah Women's Madrasa, located in the Chhotokaliakoir area of Birulia Union, on Wednesday around 10:00 AM. The accused founder has been on the run ever since.
The case statement reveals that Abdul Bari raped the student in a madrasa room on Wednesday morning. To cover up the incident afterward, the accused teacher had his wife, Tofhatul Jannah, arrange initial medical treatment for the victim and detained her inside the madrasa until evening. She was also threatened with death if she told anyone. Later, with the help of a female cooking assistant at the madrasa, the girl managed to escape, returned home, and told her grandfather everything.
When the incident became known through the victim's family, intense anger spread among local residents. At night, an agitated crowd surrounded the madrasa and the teacher's residence, keeping the accused's wife and son confined. Upon receiving the information, police arrived at the scene, but the angry crowd also obstructed police duties. At one point, around 7:00 PM, two rooms in the madrasa and the accused's residence were vandalized and looted.
To bring the situation under control, additional police forces arrived around 9:00 PM and rescued the trapped police personnel, along with the accused's wife Tofhatul Jannah and her younger son, bringing them to the police station. Additional police personnel have been deployed to prevent any new unrest in the area.
Meanwhile, local resident Motiur Rahman, citing other students, alleged that Abdul Bari's wife, under the pretext of her own physical illness, pressured madrasa students to engage in physical relations with her husband. However, the truth of this allegation could not be independently verified.
Savar Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Saiful Alam stated that Abdul Bari's wife was shown arrested in a case filed by the victim's grandfather and sent to court. Operations to arrest the main accused teacher are ongoing. Furthermore, her specific role in the entire incident is being investigated through further interrogation and legal processes.
