Teacher damages student's eye

A JSC examinee of BEPZA School and College in the port city may lose the use of his left eye after a teacher allegedly caned him on July 29.

Student Mashraful-Al-Karib, 14, was found lying at his home with a bandaged left eye after taking preliminary treatment at two hospitals in Chittagong and Dhaka.

According to doctors, the left eye's lens has been damaged badly and he needs to undergo a surgery immediately.

Md Kamruzzaman, the student's father, said mathematics teacher Arif Billah “canned” his son at school as he failed to draw a geometrical shape.

“The cane hit my son's left eye, which bled from the inside,” he said, adding, “But the teacher, without taking him for any primary treatment, just sent him home with one of his classmates.

“How can a teacher be like that? He caned my son which he legally cannot do and thereafter did not take any initiative for his primary treatment,” said Kamruzzaman, adding that there were some hospitals, including the Navy Hospital, adjacent to the school. My son was not taken there, he said.

“When my son returned home I was shocked to see him. His left eye was bleeding. We rushed him to Chittagong Medical College Hospital and then to Chevron Eye Hospital in the city.

“The doctors said blood had clotted in his eye and advised us to take him to the capital. We took him to United Hospital in Dhaka on August 1, but the doctors there said the lens of his eye had been damaged badly and he needed to undergo a surgery.

“We have decided to take him abroad and been waiting to get his passport,” he said, adding, “After the incident, my son cannot see anything with his left eye.”

Contacted, Prof Faridul Hasan of ophthalmology department at United Hospital said as far as he could remember, the left eye of the boy was very badly injured.

“We suggested some further tests,” he said, adding that perhaps a surgery would be required ultimately. “I think visual recovery is possible,” he said.

Capt (retd) MG Sabur, principal of BEPZA School and College, said the teacher was suspended following a written complaint from the parents.

“The teacher said he did not cane the boy but tried to frighten another boy when it unfortunately hit Mashraful's eye,” he said.

“We formed a probe body on Tuesday to investigate the incident,” he said yesterday.

Mashraful's father filed a case against the teacher with a Chittagong court on Sunday.

Police arrested Arif Billah on Monday at his house, said Abul Bashar, officer-in-charge of EPZ Police Station.

A Chittagong court sent Arif to jail after they had produced him before it on Tuesday, the OC added.