Ashulia School Authority Suspends Girl for Hanging Out with Jitu

Haji Yunus Ali School and College in Savar’s Ashulia has suspended a girl for hanging out with Ashraful Islam Jitu, the student accused of murdering teacher Utpal Kumar Sarker.

After it reopened on Saturday following the suspension of classes and exams for a week following the incident, Principal Saiful Hasan said the authorities will decide on her future in the institution pending the police investigation into the case.

Jitu, 19, was expelled and the girl was suspended following decisions taken by the institution’s academic council on Thursday, Saiful said. “She will also be expelled if she is found involved with the murder in the investigation.”

Jitu is accused of attacking Utpal, a teacher of political science, at the institution on Jun 25 with a cricket stump. The teacher died in hospital two days later.

The Rapid Action Battalion said Jitu, a 10th-grader, attacked Utpal to show off "heroism" to the girl, an 11th-grader. Although it was assumed that Jitu was a minor, the RAB said he was 19 years old and had faced disruptions in his study in the past.

Utpal, as the chairman of the institution's disciplinary committee, used to advise or carry out actions against the students who deviated from school norms and values.

A few days before the attack, Utpal had asked Jitu not to hang out with the girl in public, especially on the school premises, which reportedly enraged Jitu and resulted in him assaulting the teacher.

Police earlier arrested Jitu's father Ujjal Hossain and remanded both Ujjal and Jitu in custody.

School reopens after a week

The academic activities of the school resumed on Saturday after an unscheduled break in the wake of the murder of Utpal.

The rate of attendance was, however, low as many of the pupils were still traumatised over the incident, while the Eid-ul-Azha holidays are about to begin, said Principal Saiful Hasan.

The institution’s Eid holidays are scheduled to begin on Sunday and it will remain close until Jul 16.

When interviewed, some of Utpal’s colleagues said they were upset about the incident and shared many anecdotes with him.

“He was my senior when I joined the school. We shared a place together when I first arrived. Can’t believe he’s no longer with us,” said Shariful Islam, a science teacher.

The teachers demanded exemplary punishment for the guilty.