'Couldn’t believe a teacher got arrested over rational answer in class'

Eminent writer Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal said he couldn’t believe the arrest of science teacher Hriday Mondol in Munshiganj for answering a question raised in the classroom logically.

The former professor of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) said this in a human chain rally held in front of National Museum around 5 pm on Saturday protesting the arrest of Hriday Mondol.

Demanding the release of Hriday Mondol, he said, “I couldn’t believe that a teacher has been arrested by the government for giving the most rational answer to a question of his student.”

Nipironer Biruddhe Shahabag, a human rights organisation, formed the human chain protesting arrest of Hriday Chandra Mondol, a science teacher who was arrested on charges of “hurting religious sentiment” after he discussed in the classroom the distinction between religion and science.

Dr Zafar Iqbal said, "We have to teach our children science with utmost care for the sake of the development of our country because development is impossible without science. Science teacher Hriday Mondol has been made the scapegoat of communal people for doing his duty of teaching science."

"All the people who believe in science, will believe the words of Hriday Mondol and will admit it as truth and that he cannot be arrested for it," he added.

Other organisations like Bangladesh Teachers Joint council, Minority Rights Forum also joined the programme with the demand to free Hriday as soon as possible.

Earlier on March 20, some tenth-grade students of Binodpur Ramkumar High School (science section), recorded a class conversation of Hriday Mandal on science and religion where he reportedly disrespected Islam.

On 22 March, two days after the recording was made, the school’s head teacher told the media those students and other people from the community were demonstrating outside the school calling for punishment for Hriday.

Later that day, an office assistant of the high school filed a case with the police against the teacher, who was subsequently arrested. He has since been held in judicial custody after being denied bail twice.

The next bail hearing is scheduled for 10 April 2022 at the District and Sessions Judges Court.