LUCKNOW: Shock and outrage have swept across India following a disturbing incident in which a primary school teacher instructed her students to take turns slapping a Muslim classmate. The incident, captured on video, has ignited widespread condemnation and highlighted the escalating concern regarding hate crimes and religious intolerance in the country.
In the video footage from Thursday, the teacher, employed at a private school in Uttar Pradesh state, is seen directing the students to slap the seven-year-old Muslim boy, ostensibly as a punishment for a mistake he made while practicing multiplication tables. The teacher’s instructions, urging the students to hit the Muslim boy with force and specifying the target area, were met with tears and distress from the young victim.
Authorities swiftly responded to the incident, with local police superintendent Satyanarayan Prajapat confirming the authenticity of the video and asserting that “departmental action will be taken against the teacher.” The victim’s father also filed a case with the police in Muzaffarnagar district, where the incident occurred.
The distressing footage has triggered a wave of dismay online, drawing attention to the broader issue of rising hate crimes against India’s sizable Muslim minority. Critics have noted that incidents of religiously motivated violence have increased since the assumption of power by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government in 2014.
https://youtube.com/shorts/eZdnTZ2Q2Ss
BJP Govt Contributing to Religious Intolerance in India
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi pointed a finger at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for contributing to religious intolerance. He took to social media to express his dismay, stating, “Sowing the poison of discrimination in the minds of innocent children, turning a holy place like school into a marketplace of hatred. There’s nothing worse a teacher can do for the country.” Gandhi attributed the incident to the divisive rhetoric and actions propagated by the BJP.
The incident underscores deep-rooted concerns over the safety and well-being of minority communities in India. Uttar Pradesh, governed by the BJP since 2017 and led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has been the stage for several incidents of religiously motivated violence. Adityanath, known as a saffron-robed Hindu monk, has faced scrutiny for his stance on religious matters and his approach to governance.
