Principal was aware of torture, claims letter

Manama : A letter purportedly signed by several teachers of Maryam Bint Imran Girls Primary School has accused the Principal of being idle albeit knowing about the plight of the nine-year-old girl, who was tortured to death. The letter went viral on social media platforms yesterday. 

DT News reported yesterday about Hidd-resident Zahra Fakhri, who was tortured to death by her father and stepmother. She succumbed to her severe injuries as the child was beaten up with iron rods. Her father, an Arab national, and her stepmother have been arrested. 

According to sources, the child was inhumanely ill-treated by her father and stepmother. 

“The girl told about it to the Principal and the school’s administration. Then the Principal summoned the father and forced him to sign a pledge to stop torturing her,” the source said. “But since the girl revealed everything to the Principal, it incurred their wrath. They, in turn, intensified the torture meted out to her.” 

Meanwhile, sources informed that the Principal had warned the teachers from interfering in the incident or making any statement about Zahra’s suffering. 

“The stepmother and father exploited the summer break to aggravate their torture. During her final days, Zahra was subjected to attacks with planks and iron rods, resulting in deep wounds to her head before she died,” they explained. 

Victim of revenge?

Zahra has a seven-year-old sister, Malak, and her fate hasn’t been revealed yet. Both children are believed to have been tortured. It is said that the children were beaten up because of a rift between their father and mother, who left Bahrain after he had divorced her. 

Meanwhile, in a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Education informed that Education Minister Dr. Majid Al Nuaimi instructed the officials to investigate if the school’s administration were aware of the child’s horrible life.