A madrasa teacher was suspended for allegedly beating 42 female students in Bagatipara upazila yesterday noon.

Jannatul Ferdous, an assistant teacher of Perabaria Madrasa, entered the female common room and hit the students while probing an incident of a small theft, students said.

Angry students and guardians held a rally protesting the incident and submitted a memorandum to the upazila nirbahi officer in the afternoon.

They said many of the class eight and nine students were even flogged.

Later, the managing committee of the madrasa also suspended Shamsul Arefin, superintendent of the madrasa.

The assistant teacher was asked to find out who stole TK 125 of a Class nine female student, said madrasa sources.

A three-member probe committee was formed to further investigate the matter and submit its report within three days.

Nurul Islam Thantu, president of the madrasa managing committee, said, "We held an emergency meeting and formed a probe committee to find out why this happened."

Corporal punishment was declared illegal and unconstitutional by the High Court in 2011 and the ministry of education was also directed by the HC to take disciplinary action against teachers resorting to such violence.