Child Abuse Case: Sharmin Academy manager sent to jail
Staff Reporter :
A Dhaka court has ordered the detention of Sharmin Academy’s manager, Pabitra Kumar Barua, in connection with the abuse of a four-year-old child at the school in Nayapaltan, Dhaka.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Aminul Islam Junaid issued the order on Friday and scheduled 27 January for a hearing on a police request seeking remand, confirmed Sub-Inspector Roknuzzaman of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police prosecution division.
The case’s investigating officer, SI Md Nur Islam of Paltan Police Station, produced the accused before the court and requested a five-day remand to question him further.
According to the remand petition, Pabitra Kumar Barua—who serves as the academy’s manager and is also the husband of the principal—was arrested around 4:30am on 23 January from the Mirpur-6 area.
Police stated that preliminary interrogation following his arrest supported the allegations. Investigators also claimed to have gathered substantial evidence and witness testimonies implicating him and another accused who remains at large.
The petition noted that crucial information had already been obtained and that additional interrogation was necessary to ensure a proper investigation.
Earlier, the child’s mother filed the case at Paltan Police Station under Section 70 of the Children Act, 2013, naming Pabitra Kumar Barua and Sharmin Academy principal Sharmin Jahan as accused.
According to the complaint, the child was enrolled in the playgroup class about two months ago, with classes commencing on 11 January. On 18 January, the child’s mother dropped him off at school in the morning.
When she returned around 1pm to pick him up, she allegedly saw principal Sharmin Jahan tightly holding her son’s hand while Pabitra Kumar Barua sat nearby.
The mother reported that her child appeared frightened, pale, and in tears. After returning home, the child repeatedly told her that he had been beaten by both a teacher and an “uncle,” and that he had been threatened with being crushed underfoot and having his mouth stitched shut if he spoke about the incident. The child later refused to return to school.
The parents subsequently revisited the school and obtained CCTV footage. According to the complaint, the video shows the principal dragging the child into an office room and repeatedly slapping him on the face and cheeks.
As the child screamed and tried to escape, the principal’s husband was allegedly seen approaching with a stapler, threatening to staple the child’s mouth while continuing the assault and pressing him against a sofa.
The complaint further alleges that the child endured extended physical and psychological abuse. That night, he reportedly experienced pain in his head, neck, and ears, suffered hearing difficulties, and was later taken to a hospital for treatment.
On 20 January, footage of the incident went viral on social media after being shared on Facebook by Advocate Saleh Uddin.
The CCTV video shows a woman, believed to be a teacher and dressed in a pink saree, dragging a young boy in school uniform into an office room and repeatedly slapping and scolding him as he sits on a sofa.
The academy’s manager is seen seated behind a desk before approaching the child with a stapler and threatening to staple his mouth.
The footage, timestamped 18 January at 12:51pm, shows the visibly terrified child while the woman appears to smirk—sparking widespread public outrage.