On 10th April, a playschool in Roorkee, Uttarakhand organised an event on Eid al-Fitr where small children were taught how to read namaz, the videos of which became viral on social media. Now, parents of the students have filed a police complaint and accused the institution of coercing the impressionable minds of young kids. However, the school has refuted the allegations.
The matter pertained to the Learning Ladder Play School located in the Civil Lines area in Roorkee. Two female teachers were observed wearing hijabs and offering namaz in front of the little kids in the footage. The Learning Ladder is written on the t-shirts of the pupils witnessed sitting in the clip. A small girl is also donning a hijab in the 14-second video.
ब्रेकिंग: उत्तराखंड के रूड़की में एक प्ले स्कूल के नाबालिग छात्रों को नमाज पढ़ने के लिए मजबूर करने के बाद अभिभावकों और बजरंग दल का भारी आक्रोश।
— हम लोग We The People 🇮🇳 (@ajaychauhan41) April 13, 2024
प्रदर्शन कर रहे अभिभावकों और बजरंग दल के महानायकों ने स्कूल प्रशासन के खिलाफ सख्त कार्रवाई की मांग की है pic.twitter.com/WtiOhxx3Ew
After the video came out, several parents contacted the Roorkee police station. Speaking to the media, the parent of a student at the school stated that his daughter had been present when namaz was being taught. He added that they contacted the school administration but they brushed it off as a program. He further asked why his daughter was taught namaz when she was a Hindu. According to him, no such event had been planned in the previous three years, but it happened this time. He informed that he submitted a police report and requested that a case be launched in the matter.
The workers of Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad also protested against the occurrence. A complainant pointed out that the purpose of the school is to educate students, not to convert them. He asserted there was a jihadist conspiracy being supported by the institution. Another person charged that the school is manipulating the kids to perform namaz. OpIndia also spoke to Ruchi Handa, Principal of Learning Ladder School in this matter.
“The school organized an Eid Milan event for Upper KG children on 10th April 2024. The parents were also given this notification beforehand. The kids were not taught namaz but were told about how Eid is celebrated. We conveyed to the youngsters that people who celebrate Eid pray first and then embrace others,” she alleged. The principal claimed that the video from the program was made viral online to highlight the namaz.
She mentioned that the institution had provided a clarification concerning the police complaint and also taken down the footage. She claimed that the school hosts similar occasions regularly to teach the students about diverse festivals from various religions. She promised to be careful in such sensitive matters in the future. OpIndia also talked with the Roodekee police and was informed that a complaint has been received and an investigation is underway.
