Allegations have emerged that Imtiaz Ahmed, the convenor of the Rangpur metropolitan committee of the Bangladesh Ganotantrik Chhatra Sangsad (BAGCHAS), physically assaulted around fifty students at a local secondary school.
According to students and parents, Imtiaz, who also serves as the chairman of the school’s management committee, visited the school after the half-yearly exam results were released and became angry with students who had failed. He reportedly entered three classrooms in succession and beat approximately fifty students.
The incident occurred on September 4 at Harati High School in Rangpur. Following the beatings, enraged parents visited the school to demand accountability. Despite the severity of the incident, no legal action has yet been taken, and the school’s headmaster and Imtiaz claim the matter has been “resolved.” The local education officer emphasized that physical punishment of students is strictly prohibited.
Sources said Imtiaz, a student at a private university, became the ad-hoc chairman of Harati High School in February and had previously led the Rangpur metropolitan committee of the anti-discrimination student movement. On July 18, he was appointed convenor of BAGCHAS’s Rangpur metropolitan committee.
Harati High School has approximately 230 students in grades six through ten. Victims described how Imtiaz arrived on a motorcycle after lunch, visited classrooms for grades eight through ten, demanded to know the exam results, and beat students deemed “unsuccessful,” reportedly even hitting female students.
A tenth-grade student, Rifat Islam, told reporters, “After lunch, the chairman entered the classroom with a stick, called out the names of students who failed, and started hitting us. He even broke the stick while beating students in ninth grade.”
Students and parents said at least 50 students were beaten, with 10 to 15 suffering injuries and illnesses. One student, Irene Akter, required two days of hospitalization at Rangpur Medical College due to fever and injuries, with her family reporting swelling on her hand.
When questioned, Imtiaz Ahmed denied excessive violence, claiming he was enforcing discipline and that 95 percent of students had no complaints. He said, “I’m the elder brother in the area, just guiding them. Some people exaggerated the incident. But it has been mutually resolved.”
Parents and local residents strongly objected to the beatings and demanded action from the school. One parent filed a General Diary (GD) with the Poroshram police station. The school’s headmaster, Ataur Rahman, claimed the matter had been settled with consent from students and parents.
Rangpur police officer Maidul Islam confirmed that the chairman had disciplined students and that a GD had been filed online. Local BNP leader Rafiqul Islam condemned the incident as student abuse and a criminal act, criticizing the headmaster for failing to report it. The Upazila Secondary Education Officer, Abdul Hai, stated that physical punishment in schools is prohibited and that he would investigate the matter further.
