On Monday, 2nd September, four teachers, including the acting principal, of an upper primary public school in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district were punished and transferred after a conflict emerged over removing Hindu children’s tilaks off their foreheads. The primary accused teacher Ayesha who removed the tilak has been suspended along with another teacher named Usha. Meanwhile, the two others, Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari and Rajendra Kumar, have been denied their annual increment for one year.
On August 24th, District Magistrate (DM) Ankit Kumar Agarwal appointed a three-member committee to investigate a video of a teacher, Tanveer Ayesha, removing tilak off students’ foreheads that was circulated on social media. The incident occurred at a school in Bhanera village, Kiratpur block.
The Hindu students in August also alleged that the teacher asked the Muslim students to offer Namaz in the Mosque during school hours. They also said that they (Muslim students) were allowed to wear caps on their heads however, Hindu students were forbidden from wearing tilak.
बिजनौर
— Punjab Kesari-UP/UK (@UPkesari) August 25, 2024
सरकारी स्कूल में मुस्लिम टीचर का फरमान मुस्लिम
बच्चें टोपी पहनकर आए स्कूल
हिन्दू छात्रों का आरोप तिलक मिटा देती मुस्लिम टीचर
मुस्लिम टीचर मुस्लिम छात्रों को जबरजस्ती जुम्मे की नवाज पढ़ाने ले जाते मस्जिद
BSA ने मामले की बैठाई जांच@bijnorpolice@Uppolice pic.twitter.com/wnP3zM1ewT
“The committee report found the charges to be true. As a result, two teachers, Tanveer Ayesha and Usha, have been suspended. Another teacher, Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, and the acting principal, Rajendra Kumar, have been denied their annual increment for one year. All four teachers have been transferred to another school. New teachers will be sent to the school soon,” said the DM.
Ansari was also punished for reportedly asking Muslim kids to pray in a mosque during school hours. Following the tilak controversy, another teacher, Usha was reportedly accused of taking caps off Muslim student’s heads.
“The teachers were spreading racialism within the school campus, which was a very dangerous sign of polluting young minds, and hence they faced the action,” Basic Shiksha Adhikari Yogendra Kumar was quoted as saying in Bijnor.
Meanwhile, Ayesha, the suspended teacher, stated that the claims against her were false because she says she never wiped off tilak. “I will defend my innocence before high officials to clear my service record. I’ve been teaching at government schools for the past 18 years, and my record is uncluttered,” she explained.
Trouble began on August 24th when some students complained about her behavior upon seeing them wearing tilak to school. Several students complained that the Muslim teacher at school objected to applying Tilak on the forehead, but said nothing to Muslim students who wore Islamic caps on their heads.
बिजनौर मे सरकारी स्कूल मे मुस्लिम टीचर का फरमान। मुस्लिम बच्चे टोपी पहनकर आये स्कूल।
— Anuj Tyagi (@AnujTyagi8171) August 25, 2024
हिन्दू बच्चे तिलक लगाकर न आये स्कूल। स्कूल मे तिलक लगाकर स्कूल न आये हिन्दू छात्र। हिन्दू छात्रों का आरोप हिन्दू छात्रों का तिलक मिटा देती मुस्लिम टीचर। pic.twitter.com/5zSkySIMK2
On August 26th, parents protested by barging into the school and filing a complaint with acting principal Kumar, who apparently failed to take any action. Following this, the DM appointed an inquiry committee, which submitted its report on August 31st.
