He Tried to Hide the Truth: Father

The teacher who allegedly beat Irfan (10) to death tried to hide the truth, said Barkath, Irfan’s father, on Wednesday.

Idayatullah, a cleric who teaches Islamic scriptures, allegedly assaulted Irfan at a madrassa in Palakod of Dharmapuri district in Tamil Nadu. “They asked us not to file a police complaint,” Barkath told Express.

Until the body reached Bangalore from Dharmapuri district, the family was not allowed to see Irfan. “When we tried to wash the body before burying, we noticed bruises on his chest, ears, neck, thigh and back,” Barkath said.

Barkath suspects Idayatullah killed Irfan for witnessing something that could have harmed his reputation. The Palakod police called Barkath and asked him to wait till the post-mortem report was ready.

Barkath had admitted his son to the Palakod madrassa after it was recommended by a friend. Recently, Ifran had broken his arm and not attended the religious school for about 20 days.

On Tuesday, he got a call from the madrassa, saying Irfan had fallen ill. They said he had vomited and fainted. “When I reached Hosur, my relatives had arranged an ambulance. At 10 pm, the driver of the vehicle broke the news to me,” he said.