Asked to stop being intimate with a girl, Jitu killed teacher Utpal: RAB

Ashraful Ahsan Jitu, a 10th grader at Ashulia Haji Yunus Ali school, beat his teacher Utpal Kumar to death with a cricket stump after the teacher had asked the teenager to stop being intimate with a female student of the school, said Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).

A Dhaka court on Thursday granted five days for questioning the accused in custody, said Ashulia police Sub-Inspector Emdadul Haque, who is investigating the case.

Jitu was earlier arrested from Sreepur in Gazipur on Wednesday by RAB and handed over to Ashulia police on yesterday morning.

Meanwhile, according to RAB officials, Jitu admitted during primary interrogation that he had planned the attack on Utpal.

Jitu was known to tease girls in and around school and even formed a youth gang, said RAB spokesman Commander Khandker Al Moin, at a RAB Media Centre press briefing on Thursday.

The 10th grader thought attacking teacher Utpal would actually impress the girl he was trying to woo, according to Commander Moin.

Jitu attacked Utpal on 25 June with a cricket stump while the teacher was watching a cricket tournament of the school's female students.

"The accused first hit Utpal Kumar on the back of the head and then on other parts of his body, seriously injuring him," said the RAB official.

After the attack, Jitu stayed in the area till evening and then left fearing arrest. He went to Manikganj, then to Ataikula the next day, and finally to Dhonua village in Gazipur's Sreepur.

Savar teachers demand maximum punishment

Teachers of private educational institutions in Savar demanded the maximum punishment for Jitu on Thursday at a human chain protest by the Savar Upazila Parishad gate.

Jahangir Alam, chairman of the Federation of Kindergarten Association Savar, said, "We are having to witness such a heinous incident of a student killing his teacher. This is in no way acceptable and our teachers do not feel safe today."

Alam thanked the government for arresting Jitu, calling for a speedy trial of the case and ensuring the maximum punishment for the accused culprit.

Saiful Islam, principal of Haji Yunus Ali College, said, "One of our demands is to ensure the maximum punishment for Jitu, the accused student, so no one ever dares to attack a teacher again."

The deceased teacher, Utpal Kumar, graduated from Chattogram University with a postgraduate degree in political science and joined Haji Yunus Ali School and College in Ashulia in 2013 as a lecturer on the same subject.

He was the chairman of the disciplinary committee of that college.