A school principal in Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh was accused of sedition for allegedly preventing students from chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’. The incident happened a few days ago in the state-run Thala Dighavan Higher Secondary School when the Principal Zahir Ahmed Khan allegedly asked students to chant ‘Inquilab Zindabad’ instead of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’.
According to a report by the Indian Express, a group of pro-Hindu activists reported the matter to the District Collector and demanded that he booked for sedition.
However, the principal has denied any such claims and have said that he is being victimised for being a Muslim
“I chant Bharat Mata Ki Jai whenever the occasion demands. That day, a handful of students were raising indecent slogans with names of Bollywood actors. So I asked them to leave the rally. An attempt to fabricate a case was made because I am Muslim,” he told the Indian Express.
The department of education supported his stand and said that it is a case of ‘misrepresentation of facts’. ” The principal has been teaching for years and his credibility is spotless. Under his helm, the school has always produced good results. He is loved and respected by the teachers and students alike, ” S.K Tripathi, District Education Officer told ScoopWhoop.
He added that an inquiry committee has been instituted which will submit the findings in a few days.
“There is no question of taking any disciplinary action against him and he is still the principal of the school.”
District collector Lokesh Jatav also echoed similar views and said that the news is baseless. “We received a few complaints based on some local media reports. It has been found that the allegations are false. We are verifying the motive behind it,” he told ScoopWhoop.
In July, Christian schools in Madhya Pradesh’s Shahdol district came under scanner for removing ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ from the school assembly hours. A suo moto inquiry was then ordered by the District Collector. However, the schools responded saying that they never removed the slogan and the allegations against them were fabricated, reports India Today.
(All images sourced from PTI)