‘No one should take law into their own hands’

Attorney General Md Ruhul Quddus Kajal on Sunday urged people not to take the law into their own hands over an alleged sexual abuse incident involving a seven-year-old first-grade student at a madrasa in Tongi, stressing that the matter should be resolved through the legal process.

Responding to a journalist’s question about the legal aspects of the allegation, he said Bangladesh had specific legal provisions and remedies to deal with such incidents.

Speaking at his office on Sunday afternoon, the Attorney General said, “I think there are very few countries in the world that have so many laws.

In Bangladesh, there is no situation for which there is no law to deal with it. This is something remarkable. There are specific legal provisions and remedies for the incident you mentioned.”

He said anyone found to have committed an offence would have to face punishment under the law. At the same time, a person who had been wronged should receive recognition as an innocent person, he added. “No one should take the law into their own hands,” he said.

Kajal also stressed the need to preserve public respect and affection for teachers, saying children and adolescents must not feel unsafe around teachers at their educational institutions.

He described teachers’ role as in loco parentis — acting in place of parents — and said they were expected to fulfil responsibilities similar to those of parents.

The Attorney General cautioned against targeting the entire teaching community over one or two isolated incidents. He also acknowledged the natural emotional response of parents when they believe their children have been harmed.

As a legal professional, he said he believed the matter could be resolved within the framework of the law.