On suspicion of raping a madrasa teacher and threatening to post the rape video on social media, the police detained the principal of the same madrasa in Moulvibazar. Controversial principal Maulana Altafur Rahman Sadeqi was the working principal of a female title madrasa named Ayesha Siddiqa in the suburbs.

According to the police, on October 1, the female teacher filed a complaint against Altafur Rahman Sadeqi with Moulvibazar Model Police Station. The next day, on October 2, he was arrested from a female madrasa in Khidur area of the city’s Mostafapur union. Moulvibazar Sadar Model police station Officer-in-Charge Gazi Md Mahbubur Rahman said Mawlana Altafur was arrested on charges of rape and kidnapping and sent to jail. He said although the incident took place one and a half years ago, Altafur Rahman did not leave the victim behind. He had recently attempted to kidnap her.

According to the complaint, the victim used to work at the madrasa of arrested Maulana Altafur Rahman. When the madrasa was closed on March 20, 2022, the students and other teachers went home, but Altafur Rahman did not allow the teacher to go home. She was kept alone in the madrasa and raped at night. The teacher later quit her job. A few days later, in May 2022, the teacher got married socially. Even after marriage, Altafur often spoke to the teacher over phone, threatening to release the rape video on social media and leaving it on the teacher’s husband’s mobile phone. The teacher’s husband took cognizance of the matter and gave a written complaint to the Moulvibazar Ulama Parishad, an organization of the top clerics of the district.

According to sources, Altafur was declared persona non grata by the leaders of ‘Ulama Parishad Moulvibazar’, an organization of top clerics of the district, late last year for having an illicit relationship with a female teacher of the same institution. Though the announcement was made, it was widely circulated on social media. After this, there was a lot of criticism from various quarters. Accepting the complaint at that time, after being discharged from the madrasa, he was again appointed as the principal of the madrasa under the shadow of some local influential people, which caused anger among the clerics.

On the evening of 9 November 2023, a meeting of the Ulama Council was held at the Jamia Dinia Madrasa in the city under the chairmanship of the top cleric of the district and Pir of Baruna, Mufti Rashdur Rahman Faruk. At the meeting, attended by the top clerics of the district, General Secretary of Ulama Parishad Mao Gias Uddin accused Altafur Rahman Sadeqi of having an illicit relationship with a female teacher of the madrasa.
Earlier, a meeting was held at the house of madrasa committee president and former municipal councilor Ayas Ahmed on August 13, 2023, in the presence of Mao: Mansurul Hasan Raipuri, Mufti Shamsuddoha, Mufti Habibur Rahman and accused Mao: Altafur Rahman Sadeki. In the meeting, Altafur Rahman Sadeqi gave a confessional statement and took leave from the madrasa in writing. After a few days of this incident, a storm of criticism started as he again took charge as the muhtamim of the madrasa. At the meeting, Maulana Gias Uddin said that despite repeated requests to step down from the post in the interest of preserving the sanctity of the institution and protecting the dignity of destitute women, Mao Altafur Rahman Sadeqi did not take it into consideration. This created a bad reaction among the clerics of the Qawmi area of the district. In the wake of these incidents, the victim woman teacher and her husband became angry and sought written and oral justice from the president of the Ulama Parishad.

In such a situation, the investigation committee was formed under the direction of the President of the Ulama Council. After the committee investigated the allegations and found the truth, the clerics of the district took a five-point decision including declaring Mao Altafur Rahman Sadeqi unwanted in the Qawmi arena.\

It is known that former Moulvibazar municipality councillor Alhaj As Ahmed played a key role in the establishment of the madrasa. In August last year, when he was called to his house for the incident involving Mao Altafur Rahman Sadeqi, he initially denied the allegation but later admitted it. At that point, he apologized for his mistake. Later, after we asked him to resign from the responsibility of the madrasa, he tactfully mentioned the illness in the written application, but avoided the incident in the written application. We didn’t understand that at the time.

On the other hand, despite many controversies, anger and allegations against Mao Altafur Rahman, the victim did not have the courage to file any complaint in court or police station for fear of losing her honor. About one and a half years after the incident, the victim finally filed a complaint with the police against the controversial principal Mao: Altafur Rahman. Thereafter, police arrested him.