A madrasa teacher accused of torturing an eight-year-old residential student, after a video of the incident went viral on social media, has been arrested from Chittagong`s Hathazari area. 

Md Yahya, teacher at Al Markazul Quran Islamic Academy, was arrested on Wednesday.

On Tuesday evening, Yahya beat the child indiscriminately at the madrasa located near Konak Community Centre in Hathazari.

After the video went viral on social media, the child was rescued from the madrasa by the local authority.

The incident occurred earlier on Tuesday when the student’s mother went to visit her child, as it was his birthday.

As she was leaving, the boy ran after his mother. Irked by this, the teacher grabbed him by the neck, took him into a room and threw him on the floor beating him severely with a cane.

A video taken by a bystander, sparking outrage, quickly spread through social media later on Tuesday night.

"After learning about the incident, I went to the madrasa with the police at around 12:30am on Wednesday and informed his parents of rescuing the child,” said UNO Ruhul Amin.

At the same time, Yahya was ordered to be expelled from the madrasa.

The child`s parents told UNO in a letter that they were shocked and angry at the incident.

However, considering the future of the child, initially they requested police not to take any legal action against the madrasa teacher.

The child`s father said they did not want to sue.

UNO Ruhul Amin, however, instructed that Yahya not be appointed as a teacher in any madrasa in Hathazari and requested the child`s parents to file a case against the teacher.

Accordingly, later the child`s father filed a case and Yahya was arrested, confirmed Hathazari Circle Additional Superintendent of Police Shahadat Hossain.

Tuesday was the child`s birthday. He was given a birthday present by the district administration to improve his mental condition, UNO Ruhul Amin said.