ANNUAL REPORT 2011 been opened as per the direction of the NHRC. NHRC presses Education Ministry to handle teacher harassment case On March 23, 2011 Rabela Khatun (not her real name) submitted a complaint to the NHRC regarding her recent “suspension and threatened dismissal for not responding to the indecent proposal of the Headmaster” at the high school where she worked. The complainant is an assistant teacher working in Rajarhat, Kotualy, Jessore, where she had been teaching since the school was founded. She alleged that she had to endure physical assaults from the Headmaster and was prevented from collecting her salary and securing promotions. In this regard, the Commission requested the NGO Rights Jessore to investigate the matter and submit a report to the Commission. On October 18, 2011 Rights Jessore submitted the report with the recommendations that the Headmaster should be punished and the school’s managing committee should be replaced. On October 30, 2011 the Commission sent a letter to the Secretary of the Ministry of Education specifying the two recommendations and urging the Ministry take the appropriate steps to redress the human rights violation. However, seeing no response from them, the Commission is in process of informing the Honourable President about the case, as per the provisions stipulated in the founding Act. NHRC intervenes in dowry and divorce dispute Aklima Khatun (not her real name) was married to Mr. Md. Saiful Ibrahim on October 12, 2008 with the sum of BDT 5 lakh for dowry money. During the marriage, the bride’s family gave many gifts, including ornaments and many kinds of household furniture, to the groom and his family. But soon after the wedding , Aklima claimed that she experienced mental torture by her in-laws in a variety of ways – by hindering her studies and 34 preventing Norwin from communicating with her father’s family. She was also deprived of sufficient food. When Aklima complained to her husband about what had been happening to her, he was unable to help her due to his illtempered father who controlled the situation. Despite attempting to remain living with her husband, Aklima became sick and began to suffer from anemia. Following months of abuse by her husband’s family, Norwin finally returned to her father’s home in June 2009. Subsequently, her husband did not provide any kind of maintenance, but rather tried to defame Aklima and her parents by telling lies about them in the community. Aklima proceeded to divorce her husband, and the divorce became final on January 16, 2011. However, Mr. Ibrahim refused to return selected dowry money, past maintenance, ornaments and furniture pursuant to the legal demand. Aklima then lodged a complaint with the NHRC requesting the return of the items due following the divorce. The Commission took the case into its cognizance and sent a summons notice to both the parties for settling the disputed matter. After delivering the summons notice three times, the respondents returned to Aklima everything she had specified in her allegation. Jailed BDR Case defendant provided necessary medical treatment in hospital On February 27, 2011, Nirmola Das (not her real name) on behalf of her husband Mr. Nironjon Das (not his real name) brought an allegation to the Commission that her husband, who was an accused in the 2009 BDR mutiny cases, was being deprived of critical medical treatment. She reported that he was arrested on April 22, 2009 and sent to the Dhaka Central Jail. The accused was suffering from various chronic diseases and conditions, including diabetes, gallstones, and had previously suffered a heart attack. While in the Central Jail, the accused was admitted to the PG Hospital of the prison on