Md Rusel Mia, Amtali (Barguna)

Md. Shah Alam Kabir, the headmaster of MU Girls' Secondary School in Amtali, Barguna, has been accused of burning a large number of books and furniture at the school. The incident took place on Monday afternoon in the school premises. This has led to mixed reactions among teachers, staff, students and locals.

It is alleged that a building in the school had stored new and old books and various furniture from the past 20 years. On Monday afternoon, the headmaster set fire to those books and furniture without the permission of the administration and the school management committee. This created smoke in the school area and raised concerns among students and teachers about the matter.

Local sources said that a case is pending against headmaster Md. Shah Alam Kabir at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) for embezzling school funds. The complainants claim that books and other materials were burned to destroy any evidence of irregularities or corruption. However, no evidence was immediately available to support this allegation.

School students Lamia and Jannati complained that many new and old books were burned in the fire, causing the entire school to be engulfed in smoke.

Some teachers, who did not wish to be named, said that the headmaster had burned the books without informing anyone. They demanded a proper investigation into the matter to uncover the real reason.

However, denying the allegations, Headmaster Md. Shah Alam Kabir said, "Some old books and unnecessary furniture of the Open University were burned. No new books were destroyed."

He did not directly answer the question of whether approval was obtained from the upazila administration or the school management committee before the destruction of the books and furniture.

In this regard, Amtali Upazila Secondary Education Office Supervisor Md. Golam Mahmud Selim said, “The headmaster did not inform me or the Upazila Secondary Education Officer about the burning of the books.”

Amtali UNO (Acting) Md. Ashraful Islam said, the matter will be investigated after talking to the Secondary Education Office. Necessary measures will be taken.

The incident has sparked widespread discussion and criticism in the area. Those concerned are demanding that the real facts be revealed through an impartial investigation into the allegations of destruction of government property.