A case has come to light in district Gaya, Bihar, where a Muslim teacher identified as Sadaf Jahan allegedly threw Shrimad Bhagwad Gita in the dustbin and abused Hindu Gods and Goddesses. A video of the child who was carrying the Gita in his bag is going viral on social media platforms. The incident took place in Kendriya Vidyalaya-1, located on Bageshwari road of Gaya city.
The victim student is the son of a priest of ISKCON temple in Gaya and studies at KV-1. In the viral video, the child said that the name of the teacher was Sadaf Jahan and the principal-in-charge of the school was one Amina Khatoon. Reportedly, the teacher also threatened to skin him if he told anyone about the incident.
In the video, the child said, “When I went to the school, Sadaf madam came after lunchtime. She teaches us Hindi but teaches us Urdu as well. She checked our bags, including mine. I carry Bhagwad Gita and Mala daily to school. During checking, she (Sadaf) took Gita and Mala out of my bag and threw them in the dustbin. She then abused Hindu deities. She has Ganesha’s image on her slippers as well.”
Media reports suggest that the regional office took cognizance of the complaint filed by the student of Class-4. According to the principal-in-charge, Amina Khatoon, “The accused teacher teaches part-time. Senior officers are probing the matter. Whatever truth comes out, action will be taken as per rules.” The video was made by a local political outfit.
A video of Prabhu Ji, manager of ISKCON temple, Gaya, is also making rounds on social media platforms. In the video, he said, “A Muslim teacher of Kendriya Vidyalaya in Gaya checked the bag of a Hindu child. She threw the Bhagwad Gita out of the bag in the dustbin. Then she insulted Hindu gods and goddesses in Urdu. Later, she threatened the child she would skin him if he told anyone about it.”
He further added, “Friends, they crossed the limit. We cannot tolerate this any longer. Please make this video viral so that every parent should teach their children not to tolerate insults to religion. He who does not learn from history, history teaches him. We will protest against the incident.”
OpIndia reached out to Pujari Rahul Singh, father of the victim student in the matter. He said, “Earlier, my son was teased in the school. I made a verbal complaint about it. The incident took place on December 9. I tried filing a complaint at the local Delaha Police station, but they refused to take my complaint. The next day, I met the Superintendent of Police, Gaya. He asked me if I had so much problem, why I did not shift my child to another school. He further questioned why my child took Gita and Mala to school. SP took my application and said they would investigate after 4-5 days and inform me what happened.”
He further added, “Earlier, such incidents were not common in school. However, since the vice-principal of the school, Amina Khatoon, has been made the principal-in-charge, the number of Muslim teachers on temporary posts has increased substantially. Teacher Sadaf, who misbehaved with my child, is also being protected by the principal-in-charge. When I did not see getting justice from the Police, I filed a complaint to the higher officials in the education department. An inquiry is being conducted based on my complaint.
In his complaint to the Police, Singh said, “I have taught Sanatan Dharma rituals to my child from childhood. He always keeps chanting God’s name. But now, my child is being forced to read Kalma in school. When he refuses, he gets beaten up with a duster and made to stand on the bench. The child is not going to the school out of fear.”
OpIndia talked to Shyam Vithal, Sewak, at Vishupad temple. He demanded justice for the family of the victim in the case. He said till now, no case has been registered against the accused teacher. The local Hindu organizations are furious because of the inaction of the administration. If strict action is not taken in the case, large scale protests will happen.
OpIndia reached out to the Superintendent of Police, but he was unreachable. We also contacted the Delaha Police station in charge, who said, “The allegations that we are not taking any action are untrue. We are following the rules. It is an internal matter of the school, and the education department is involved in the case. Senior officials of the education department are probing the case. Whoever is found guilty in their investigation, we would get instructions accordingly. We will take action based on the instructions. I myself is in touch with Kendriya Vidyalaya for updates and investigation report in the matter.”
With inputs from Rahul Pandey, OpIndia Hindi.
