Karnataka teacher asks Muslim students to ‘go to Pakistan’, investigation launched
An investigation has been launched after a teacher in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district allegedly told two Class 5 Muslim students to “go to Pakistan”. According to a report in Hindustan Times, A Nazrullah, president of the district unit of the minority wing of Janata Dal Secular, has lodged a complaint with the education department. According to the complaint, teacher Manjula Devi saw two students fighting in the class. Devi then scolded the boys and reportedly said, “This is not your country”.
“We were shocked when the children told us about the incident. We lodged a complaint with the Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) and the department took action against the teacher,” Nazrullah said.
Block Education Officer B. Nagaraj investigated the matter and other students in the class confirmed the complaint. “The teacher reportedly told the students: ‘This is not your country; This is a country of Hindus. You should go to Pakistan. You are our slave forever,” said Nagaraj.
The incident comes a week after a video went viral of a teacher in Uttar Pradesh, where she encouraged her students to slap their Muslim classmate for not being able to recite the multiplication tables. The incident took place at Neha Public School in Muzaffarnagar district. Subsequently, on August 26, on a complaint by the boy’s family, a case was registered against the teacher under sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code.
Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD) on Tuesday condemned the Uttar Pradesh school incident and demanded a speedy trial as well as exemplary punishment for the teacher.
Actors Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and lyricist Javed Akhtar were among the signatories to a statement issued by IMSD, which describes itself as a secular democratic platform of Muslims in India.
