A Maulvi in Jharkhand’s Garhwa district has been accused of sexually assaulting as many as six minor children who went to his madarsa to study. The incident came to the fore on Sunday, February 19, when the family of one of the victims filed a complaint against the cleric with the Jharkhand police. The accused, identified as Samruddin, is a West Bengal native who has been absconding since his crime has been exposed.
गढ़वा : मदरसे में तालिम की बजाय बच्चों के यौन शोषण का मामला आया सामने, आरोपी मुफ्ती की गिरफ्तारी को लेकर छापेमारी जारी । #JharkhandNews #Crime pic.twitter.com/ZlOwpsonLH
— News18 Jharkhand (@News18Jharkhand) February 20, 2023
According to reports, the incident occurred in the Koindi hamlet, which falls within the Nagaruntari police station limits in Garhwa, Jharkhand. For many years, Maulvi Samruddin was teaching in a madarsa called Darul Uloom Samsia located in the village. As many as 50 students attend the madarsa to learn Islamic religious texts from the Maulvi.
Samruddin allegedly invited children to his room and then sexually assaulted them under the guise of getting a massage from them. On February 19, he summoned three young children to his room. He ordered two of them to stand guard outside the room. After locking his room from the inside, he asked the third child to give him a massage. While the child was doing so, Samruddin began misbehaving with him.
The child resisted and told his family about his ordeal. When the child’s family members came to the madarsa with a complaint, the cleric reportedly gathered several of his supporters. It is alleged that the Maulvi, along with these people, assaulted the family members.
The victim’s relatives further alleged that another cleric of the same madarsa named Ashraf tried to cover up the incident, but his attempts failed as someone informed the police about the matter. Police soon reached the spot and recorded the statements of the students, based on which a case was registered against the cleric.
According to reports, the cleric has, so far, victimized around half a dozen students of the madarsa.
Meanwhile, the cleric fled after the complaint was filed against him. Speaking on the matter, SDPO Pramod Kumar stated that efforts are being made to apprehend Samruddin.
