"As a farmer deeply rooted in this land, our family has lived here for generations without encountering any form of discrimination. But now my daughter has deliberately been overlooked for an award she deserved,” Arnaz Banu's father, Sanwar Khan, said.
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — In a possible case of deliberate discrimination based on religion, Shri K.T. Patel Smriti Vidyalaya, a school located in Gujarat’s Nanakda town of Kheda district, 14 km from Ahmedabad, refused to honour its star student, simply because she happens to be a Muslim.
Arnaz Banu, topper in Class X with a score of 87%, naturally was too excited expecting to be called on stage at a function organised by her school to honour meritorious Class X and Class XII students on Independence Day. That was not to be.
The incident, too intentional to be ignored, has sparked a wave of discontent among activists and citizens on various social media platforms. In a tweet, writer and a rights activist Salil Tripathi said: “This is the state of Modified India.”
Tripathi’s tweet further said: “A Muslim girl topped her class, but at the prize ceremony, she wasn’t named; only the winners of prizes from #2 were named. She cried; teachers told her parents she’d get a prize ‘later.’ She didn’t want the prize; she wanted recognition, which the Gujarati school denied.”
Arnaz Banu is reported to have returned home in tears. Her father, Sanwar Khan, a resident of Lunava village, expressed his distress over the incident: “She told us that the award which should have been hers was bestowed upon a student who secured the second position. I engaged with school authorities and teachers seeking an explanation, but their responses were vague at best. While they assured us that the reward will be given on January 26th, my question remains – why was it not granted on August 15th? As a farmer deeply rooted in this land, our family has lived here for generations without encountering any form of discrimination. But now my daughter has deliberately been overlooked for an award she deserved,” media reports quoted the dismayed father as saying.
Bipin Patel, the principal of Shri K.T. Patel Smriti Vidyalaya, was quoted by Vibes Of India as saying: “Our school maintains a strict policy against any form of discrimination. Rest assured, the deserving student will receive her reward on January 26th. It’s noteworthy that she was absent on the designated day, which hindered the presentation.”
However, Sanwar Khan contests this. “My daughter did attend school on that day. The school is equipped with CCTV cameras, which can provide the evidence.”
Anil Patel, a teacher at the school, says, “The 15th August event was a minor celebration to acknowledge the achievements of our students. The rewards will be formally given on January 26th, including all those who exhibited exceptional talents. We remain committed to addressing any grievances and acknowledging the efforts of all our students.”
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Photo: Arnaz Banu (Courtesy Vibes Of India)
