A lady teacher in the government senior secondary school of Rooppura in Bhilwara of Rajasthan had reportedly distributed among her students a booklet titled ‘Hinduism: Dharm ya Kalank’ in the last week of February 2022. The parents of the students have protested this act by the teacher. Taking cognizance of this, the chief district education officer of Bhilwara Brahma Ram Choudhary has ordered an inquiry in this matter on 2nd March 2022.
Hinduism: Dharm ya Kalank?
Nirmala Kamad is a teacher in the government senior secondary school of Rooppura in the Asind subdivision of the Bhilwara district of Rajasthan. She is accused of distributing a booklet among her students in the school. The booklet is specifically against Hinduism which is clear by its title ‘Hinduism: Dharm ya Kalank?’ which means ‘Hinduism: Religion or Indictment?’. Interestingly this whole text is divided into three sections and the distributed booklet covers all three of them. The book with a green cover also has a quote attributed to Jawaharlal Nehru which says ‘Hindus are definitely lenient and intolerant. No one in the world is as narrow-minded as a Hindu person’.
The students and villagers complained
The teacher had distributed this booklet in the last week of February 2022. When the parents of these students got to know about this, they came to the school complaining about the incident. The outraging parents locked the school.
According to a report by Navbharat Times, Mukesh Kumar, the principal of the school has informed that the Sarpanch of the village Soniya Gurjar had visited the school on 28th February along with his father Man Roop Gurjar and other villagers accusing the teacher of distributing this booklet.
Man Roop Gurjar said that a student called him up to inform him that the accused teacher propagates misinformation about Hinduism. Students have alleged that she has accused the priests at Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir of using funds collected for construction of Bhavya Ram Mandir for their personal use, he added. “She also gives misinformation about cows. When we tried to talk to her, she threatened us that she would register a case against us under the SC/ST Act. We demand suspension of the teacher,” he said.
Teacher alleges harassment
The teacher, on the other hand, has accused villagers of discrimination and harassment because of her caste. Nirmala Kamad, the teacher, has said that five months back, Man Roop Gurjar had called on school principal’s number and spoken to her. She alleged that Gurjar had said that villagers were objecting to her leaving her hair untied, coming in a car and wearing spectacles. “Our children will not study with you SC/ST people. Get yourself transferred,” she alleged that Gurjar told her. She also alleged that another Nandlal Khatik was similarly harassed.
The teacher is put on APO (awaiting posting orders)
Amidst the protests by the villagers, Beni Prasad Sargara, the Tahsildar of Asind reached the school along with Asind Police Station in-charge Harish Sankhla and Additional Block Education Officer Bhanwar Lal Sen. After this, the Chief District Education Officer Brahma Ram Choudhary had ordered to put the teacher on APO. The lady teacher is temporarily posted in the office of the Block Education Officer.
Rajasthan | People staged a protest after a govt school teacher in Bhilwara has allegedly distributed a book against a particular religion.
— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2022
The chief district education officer of Bhilwara Brahma Ram Choudhary said, “A team has been set up to investigate the matter.” (02.03) pic.twitter.com/f4YXxjA6mN
School unlocked only after strict action was assured
The additional block education officer Bhanwar Lal Sen had informed that the protesting villagers had closed and locked the gates of the government senior secondary school of Rooppura. He said, “The villagers had complained about a teacher that she had distributed an anti-religious booklet (that is Hinduism: Dharm ya Kalank?) to the students. We had received a complaint letter from the villagers and we will be doing further action based on this complaint.” The gates of the schools were opened after the villagers were satisfied by the assurance of the strict action given by the administration.
