Desperate students write to higher authorities including the L-G and the chief minister detailing their mistreatment at the hands of some teachers
Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI – Several Muslim students have claimed beating, abuse, discrimination and humiliation at the hands of their teachers in a government school in the national capital. The teachers were also accused of regularly throwing religious slurs at them and ill-treating them because of the Muslim identity of the students.
The abhorrent incidents occurred in Sarvodya Bal Vidyala in Nand Nagri area of northeast Delhi and were brought to light in a letter from the victim students to Supreme Court lawyer Ashok Agarwal, who visited their institutions recently.
The students did not reveal their identities out of fear of retribution.
The religious bigotry displayed by teachers, expected to uphold communal amity and secular values, is symptomatic of the deep malaise that has set in a section of society and dented the country’s democratic and pluralistic ethos during the last decade.
The helpless and hapless students addressed their letter to the Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) and Delhi chief minister, detailing their harrowing experience of constantly being teased with epithets like ‘katwa’ and mulla’ and the forced chanting of ‘Jai Shri Ram.’
Earlier, during Agarwal’s visit to the school on August 7, students told him about their ordeal and then wrote the letter to him. Besides the L-G and the chief minister, the letter has also been marked to the director of the Education Department, the Chairman of the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights and other officials.
The students named Adarsh Sharma and Vikas Kumar and one of their colleagues, identified only as Hindi Teacher, as their tormentors.
Agarwal was made aware of the misbehaviour and torture by the teachers and the lawyer raised the issue with the principal of the school. Instead of reprimanding the erring teachers, the principle let them know about the complaint and since then, Muslims students faced intimidation more frequently.
In the letter, the students said they are beaten up regularly; forced to go naked waist down and thrashed mercilessly behind the closed doors of a bathroom. The students are also threatened that their nude video will be made viral. The teachers also threatened to remove their name from the school if they dare complain to anyone. Students feel that if they approach the principal, they will be subjected to more thrashing. Students also alleged that teachers continuously threaten them to deduct their marks in the examination and failing them.
Further, the students said that the Muslim and Dalit students are targeted and made to sit on back benches and upper caste students are allotted seats on the front benches.
The letter also said Muslims students are constantly asked to leave the country while Dalits are told that they don’t have the right to education and they were born just to serve Pandits and do labour works and become vendors.
The letter urges removal of the three teachers from the school or felicitate the transfer of Muslims students to some other school.
“Kindly take action against Adarsh Sharma ji and Vikas Kumar and others. Departmental action should be taken and police case should be filed after removing them from the school so that students don’t face discrimination at any school,” reads the letter.
Agarwal appealed to Chief Minister Atishi Singh to set up a high-level probe into the grievance of Muslims community student.
Agarwal said he was orally informed by a Class XI student that a teacher was discriminating students on the basis of religion and forcing them to chant “Jai Shree Ram.” The issue was brought to the notice of the previous Director of Education, Mr RN Sharma, but nothing was done and the situation seems to continue, he said.
“The allegations levelled in the undated letter seem to be very serious and immediate inquiry should be conducted and necessary actions are taken,” said Agarwal in the letter.
Speaking to Clarion India, Agarwal said such incidents are occurring because of the mindset of some teachers. “Teachers should not behave like this. They should be secular,” he said.
“Some teachers are running the agenda of a particular political party. This is very dangerous and poisonous trend,” he said.
Agarwal said he was awaiting government’s response. But, he said, the ruling party is not showing enough courage to take action as it feels that supporting Muslims will be harmful in politics.
“This is not a good sign. Someone is spoiling the atmosphere of school and you are claiming to build world class school,” he said.
