Locals besiege Jashore-4 MP's house amid protest over daughter's alleged assault on madrasah students

Hundreds of locals besieged the residence of Jashore-4 lawmaker and Jashore Jamaat Ameer Golam Rasul today (28 July) over allegations that his daughter assaulted students at a nearby madrasah.

The protesters also blocked the Jashore-Narail highway for several hours, disrupting traffic, before police intervened and brought the situation under control. Additional police were later deployed outside the lawmaker's residence in the Nilganj area of Jashore, reports our correspondent.

According to locals, Rasul's daughter, Mehejabin Jannat Anannya, assaulted several students of Al Madrasahtul Shariyyah, located opposite the lawmaker's residence, yesterday afternoon. Although the two sides reportedly reached a settlement later that night, tensions flared again after she allegedly confronted students and their guardians this morning.

Kabir Hossain, muhtamim of Al Madrasahtul Shariyyah, alleged that Anannya had repeatedly confronted children studying at the institution.

"She assaulted some children yesterday. We later reached a settlement, but this morning, while the children were playing, she confronted them again. At one stage, she threw a padlock that hit a guardian on the head," he said.

As the protest intensified, demonstrators allegedly hurled bricks at the lawmaker's residence, damaging several windowpanes, and attempted to force open the main gate.

A relative of the MP who arrived to mediate was also assaulted, according to local witnesses quoted by UNB.

Golam Rasul and members of his family remained inside the house for several hours during the unrest.

Rejecting the allegations, Rasul's wife Sharmin Dina said their daughter had long been suffering from mental health issues.

She alleged that although the madrasah had remained closed, children frequently gathered in the area and created disturbances. The family's objections to the gatherings had led to the dispute, she claimed.

"Our house was attacked, and now false allegations are being made against us," she said.

In a video message, Golam Rasul said he had gone to the madrasah this morning to ask teachers to request guardians to remain inside the premises instead of gathering on the road outside.

He claimed that some guardians assaulted him during the exchange and that his daughter and wife were also attacked when they tried to intervene.

"I somehow managed to escape with my wife and daughter and took shelter inside our house," he said, adding that he wanted the matter to be resolved peacefully.

Masum Khan, officer-in-charge of Jashore Kotwali Police Station, told reporters that the dispute stemmed from an altercation involving the lawmaker's daughter, madrasah students and their guardians.

"Locals later besieged the lawmaker's residence. We have asked anyone with complaints to submit them in writing. Necessary action will be taken after an investigation," he added.

Meanwhile, in a statement, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar condemned the attack on the lawmaker's residence, alleging that it had been carried out by "terrorists backed by BNP activists."

Claiming that the lawmaker's daughter suffers from mental illness, Porwar described the attack as "planned and deliberate" and called on the authorities to identify those involved and bring them to book.