A court in southern Bangladesh sentenced two Hindu school teachers to six months in jail for making “abusive” remarks about Islam that led a mob to attack their school, a magistrate said yesterday.
The head teacher and another staff member at the Hijla High School in the town of Chitalmari were found guilty of “hurting the religious sentiments” of Muslim students and their parents.
The comments sparked protests by students, most of whom are Muslim, and angry villagers descended on the school seeking to beat up the teachers before
being stopped by police.
“They have made abusive comments about Islam and the Prophet Muhammad during a class session,” said magistrate Anwar Parvez, who handed down the verdict on Monday after the teachers pleaded guilty.
“Local people attacked the school. They wanted to beat the two Hindu teachers,” Parvez said.
The convictions come as concern mounts over Islamist extremism in conservative Bangladesh, which is reeling after a spate of murders of minorities and secular activists.