A MADRASSAH teacher was arrested for allegedly raping a male student at the Mujibnagar Ideal Madrassah and Darul Hifzkhana at Mujibnagar upazila in Meherpur on Friday.

The arrested, Nur Uddin, 25, is an Arabic teacher at the madrassah.

Local people said that the victim, a resident of Alamdanga upazila in Chuadanga, had been staying at the madrassah’s boarding facility for his education.

The victim’s father filed a rape case with the Mujibnagar police station, the police station officer-in-charge, Jahidul Islam said, adding that they had produced the teacher before a Meherpur court and the court ordered the teacher be sent to jail.

The matter came to light in the early hours of Friday when the victim’s father was informed by the guardian of another student that Nur Uddin had been repeatedly taking the child to his room late at night and raped him there.

Upon receiving the news, the victim’s father rushed to the madrassah, talked to his son and became certain about the alleged crime, local people said.

As the news of the incident spread, a sense of grave indignation and concerns regarding the safety of children at residential religious institutions gripped the local community, with several other parents raising allegations of the similar misconduct against the teacher.

The situation turned volatile as agitated people surrounded the madrassah premises, demanding immediate justice.

On information, a team of police from the Mujibnagar police station reached the spot and brought the situation under control, said Jahidul.

Meherpur-1 lawmaker and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Meherpur district unit amir Tahaj Uddin is the founder of the madrassah, the police official said.

Quoting the rape victim, Jahidul said that the teacher also harassed two other students at the madrassah.

The victim would undergo necessary medical examinations, he added.

Locals have demanded a fast-track trial and exemplary punishment of the accused.