Ayesha Parveen joined a new school on Wednesday while waiting for the report of the inquiry into allegations against her. She hoped that the truth would prevail
Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
NEW DELHI — The Muslim teacher, who was suspended following a flimsy accusation of her barring Hindu students from wearing tilak in an upper primary school in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district, was given an emotional farewell on Tuesday with several students seen crying openly.
Ayesha Parveen, who taught at the school located in Baneda village for about two decades, was suspended this week by the Basic Siksha Adhikari (BSA) Yogendra Kumar citing allegations of her stopping Hindu students from wearing tilak.
She has refuted all allegations against her calling them “baseless”.
A large number of wailing and sobbing students surrounded the teacher as she bid farewell to her colleagues and other staff members. Reports said several dejected students were heard saying that they would also move to some other school. Viral videos show the hijab-observing Ayesha consoling the students and encouraging them to work hard in their studies. All this while the students continued to cry with tears welled up in their eyes.
Speaking to Clarion India over the phone, Ayesha was flabbergasted. “How can I tell you about the moment? Children had got me emotional a lot. I had an attachment with the students and the school. This is the biggest thing for a teacher. Why do we go to teachers? We go for these students.”
She also refuted all allegations against her calling them “baseless”.
“There is nothing like this. One of my colleagues named Usha had strictly said that she would not like the students to come to school wearing a topi (cap) or tilak. Every student should come in a simple way. It was a normal direction. I also told the students that she was right. I have not said all this. This was said by Usha Ji,” said Ayesha.
“In my teaching career spanning 30 years I have never said any such thing,” she asserted.
When asked about some videos of students levelling allegations against her, the teacher said that there was a conspiracy against her. “These videos were not made in the school. They were shot outside and morphed,” said Ayesha.
She joined a new school on Wednesday while waiting for the report of the inquiry into allegations against her. She hoped that the truth would prevail.
Another teacher named Mukhtar was also punished with his salary increment stopped.
Reacting to the incident, Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi said: “Such incidents are happening every day with government patronage and the government is watching the spectacle with pleasure. Every day new conspiracies are being hatched against Muslims. Have patience, every hatred has an end; this hatred will also be defeated,” he wrote on X.
