Student Expelled for Cheating by Phone in Kushtia, Then Two Crude Bombs Explode Behind School

At Philipnagar Secondary School in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia, a student was expelled during the SSC test examination for allegedly writing answers while looking at a mobile phone. A short time later, two crude bombs exploded one after another behind the school.

The incident took place on Monday at around 3pm, while the English second paper examination was under way.

According to the school's teachers and police sources, the head teacher seized mobile phones from five students during the examination. A teacher on duty in the room expelled one student after seeing him copying with the help of a phone.

Head teacher Md. Asaduzzaman said he was in his own room when the explosions occurred and could not say who carried them out. He said students had been told to deposit their mobiles in the examination hall, some had done so, and when one student tried to copy using a phone he was expelled, with the explosions outside following a short time later.

The sources said that after being expelled, the student went to the school with several friends. As they passed along the road directly behind the school building, two crude bombs exploded in succession and the loud blasts spread panic in the school.

There is a police camp beside the school. On receiving the news, police went to the scene and seized a motorcycle that was lying there.

Daulatpur police officer-in-charge Khaledur Rahman said initial investigation found the unregistered motorcycle belonged to local Jamaat leader Muhammad Khaja Ahmed, who was questioned. He said the school authorities had informed police they would file a case at the police station the next morning over the explosions.

Khaja Ahmed is a former president of Kushtia district Chhatra Shibir and the Jamaat-nominated chairman candidate in the Philipnagar Union Parishad election. He said one of his brothers and the expelled student are always with him, both are sitting the examination, and his brother had taken his motorcycle when going to sit the exam, after which he heard the expelled student had taken the motorcycle from the school.

Khaja Ahmed also said something like the firecrackers set off at Eid had been burst behind the school, that it was a very minor matter, and that police later went and took the motorcycle. In his words, a small incident was being turned into a political issue, he knew nothing about it, and as a chairman candidate in the coming UP election there was a fresh conspiracy against him.

Academic supervisor Kamal Hossain of the upazila secondary education office said he heard about the incident from the head teacher after the evening. Daulatpur upazila nirbahi officer Anindya Guha said police were sent to the scene after news of the explosions and legal action would be taken subject to investigation.