A case of a mazar built inside a government school in Vidisha of Madhya Pradesh has come to light. The principal, Shahina Firdaus, has been accused of building the Islamic structure. It is being told that the principal was also helped by his husband in this work. However, the principal has refused to have built that structure.
The district education officer has written to the District Magistrate to demolish that alleged Mazar. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also taken cognizance of this news and its chairman has announced a visit to the school and asked the concerned officials to be present.
Mazar built in a government school
According to reports, the case is of a secondary school falling in the Kurvai area of the Vidisha district. This school has also been selected for the CM Rise Scheme of the Madhya Pradesh government. It is being said that Principal Shahina Firdaus, who joined here as a teacher in 1992, built a Mazar-like structure inside the school. Her husband Banne Khan, who was posted as a sports teacher in the same school, also helped in the construction of this structure.
Villagers say the shape of the Mazar is like a small stage. It was built during the board examinations in February 2022. It is being told that those who built this structure had pressured the rest of the teachers not to complain about it.
Neither the national anthem nor the national song was being sung in the school
It is also alleged that during the tenure of Shahina Firdaus as principal, Allama Iqbal’s song ‘Ae Malik Tere Bande Hum’ was being sung as a prayer in the school instead of ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and ‘Vande Mataram’, a Dainik Bhaskar report said, citing school staff.
According to the school’s current principal R K Srivastava, the national anthem and the national song are being sung in the school since his joining in August 2022.
The principal was transferred after she lied about the Mazar during the investigation
After this news came to light, District Education Officer Atul Kumar Mougdil wrote a letter to the DM demanding the demolition of the Mazar-like platform. He said in his statement that during the repair of the school in February this year, a Mazar-like platform was built there.
According to Atul Kumar, a complaint was received in August 2022. The allegations made in the complaint were found to be true after an investigation. He further said that principal Shahina said that the platform was already built, which has been found wrong in the investigation. According to the District Education Officer, the principal has been transferred and action is being taken to suspend her.
बच्चों को राष्ट्रगान व राष्ट्रीय गीत से वंचित करना एक गम्भीर अपराध है,इस तरह के मामलों में सख़्त व तुरंत प्रतिक्रिया आवश्यक होती है।
— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (@KanoongoPriyank) October 6, 2022
इसलिए आज मैं स्वयं विदिशा ज़िले के कुरवाई में दौरा कर कर यथेष्ट कार्यवाही सुनिश्चित करूँगा। pic.twitter.com/ETi4mMBt54
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has taken cognizance of the matter. The NCPCR president Priyank Kanoongo has termed depriving children of the national anthem as a serious crime. He has decided to visit the school and directed the officials concerned to stay at the school.
“Depriving children of the national anthem and national song is a serious crime. In such cases, a strict and immediate response is necessary. Therefore, today I myself will visit Kurvai in Vidisha district and ensure adequate action,” Kanoongo tweeted.
