They say 14 girls, aged between eight and 12, received burn injuries.
The school has been temporarily closed following the incident, while the “hellish experience” of the girls has been widely reported in newspapers.
Their injuries are not thought to be serious.
The Bangladeshi government banned all corporal punishment in all educational institutions, including religious schools – or madrassas – in 2010.
Pupils say that the teacher asked the students whether they knew the severity of the fire in hell.
They were allegedly told that if they did not offer prayers regularly, they would experience a similar punishment.
“This is… human rights violence on children. The government has been trying to stop this kind of violence against children, especially in educational institutions. But the implementation is weak,” Rasheda K Chowdhury of the Campaign for Popular Education said.
Police are investigating the incident following complaints by parents.
“We have registered a case against the madrassa teacher following a complaint by the father of a girl.
Parents, meanwhile, say that they are reluctant to carry on sending their children to the madrassa.
“If we had a government school in the vicinity then we would send them there. But the nearest government school is far away,” said Sumaiya Begum, mother of another student who received injuries.
“That is why we have to send our children to this madrassa.”
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