School principal suspended after parents allege students were made to offer namaz in Hathras

The principal and two teachers of a school in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras city were suspended on Wednesday after Hindutva supremacists led protests by a group of parents alleging that students had been forced to read namaz on campus.

Punitive action was taken against the principal Sonia McPherson and the teachers, Irfan Ilahi and Kanwar Rizwan, was taken even as the school management denied the allegations, The Indian Express reported.

Karnika Srivastava, the vice principal of BLS International School, told reporters that a special Assembly session was held on April 18 to celebrate World Heritage Day and Eid. “At the event, the song Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua [composed by Muhammad Iqbal] was performed...I want to clearly say that namaz was not offered and nobody was pressurised to perform.”

However, the school management has formed an inquiry committee and suspended the principal and the two teachers as prima facie action. The district administration has also formed a two-member committee to conduct an inquiry.

Principal and two teachers at the school have been terminated. A two-member team has been constituted by the district magistrate to probe the matter and provide report in 5 days. pic.twitter.com/E24vBj17Qm— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) April 20, 2023

On Wednesday, a group of parents led by Hindutva supremacist Deepak Sharma held a protest outside the...

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