Within hours of the ‘Slap Your Muslim Classmate’ video wherein an eight-year-old boy is being slapped by his Hindu classmates on the instruction of the teacher, going viral, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has written to the government for “swift action”. Writing to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, besides the Union Minister for Women and Child Development, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Commission for Protection of Children’s Rights (NCPCR), Jamiat’s President Mahmood Madani urged them to “initiate legal proceedings against the perpetrators” and urged them to instruct the district administration “to refrain from attempting to downplay this grave matter”.
Maulana Madani vehemently asserted that “nafrat ka pathshala” (school of hatred) is unacceptable. “It is sad to observe that our country has descended into a breeding ground for hate speech. This trend originated from the dissemination of venomous statements by certain political leaders and some media outlets. When governmental authorities and their agencies fell short in reining in this, it reached the extent that even the pillars of security institutions and educational establishments, traditionally revered as centres of knowledge, have succumbed to its influence.”
On the same lines has been the reaction of Markazi Taleemi Board (MTB). Speaking to the media, the MTB Chairman, Salim Engineer said, “The Markazi Taleemi Board demands strict action against the school and the teacher. NCPCR should initiate an inquiry and make its findings public. The rights of the child have been violated and NCPCR must act swiftly and decisively. Islamophobia is fast spreading in schools and college campuses and should be addressed by the government. The police, NCPCR, and the courts must take suo moto cognizance of such a grave violation of child rights by pursuing the case against the school and teacher. The victim deserves justice and adequate compensation.”
Meanwhile, the NCPCR has taken suo motu notice of the issue and has asked the Senior Superintendent of Muzaffarnagar to initiate an inquiry and lodge an FIR against the errant teacher-principal.
In the video which has since been widely tweeted, including by Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Supriya Shrinate and others, Tripta Tyagi, principal of Neha Public School in Mansoorpur village of Muzaffarnagar is seen asking the classmates of the eight-year-old Muslim boy to slap him. She even asks the children to slap him harder, first on the face, then his back, and is seen making irresponsible remarks about ‘‘Mohammedans”. “I have declared it - all Muslim children should be beaten,” says the principal to someone not seen on camera.
Mr. Gandhi, in his tweet on X, said, “A teacher cannot do worse than to fill the minds of innocent children with feelings of discrimination, turn a sacred place like school into a market of hate.” He went on to blame the BJP for “spreading kerosene to stoke up fire in every corner of the country”.
Even as Mr. Madani reiterated that every child is entitled to a secure and all-encompassing educational milieu, enabling his personal and academic growth, Jamiat’s local unit met the family of the child and offered humanitarian and moral support besides encouraging the child’s father to pursue legal recourse. Earlier, the child’s father was quoted as having decided to withdraw his child from the school, and not lodge a complaint with the police.
