By Jehangir Ali
Srinagar: A government teacher in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir was suspended on Thursday (November 6) for allegedly imparting extremist teachings to young school students.
The action came after a local activist Raja Shakeel complained to the chief education officer (CEO) of Doda that the students at Government Middle School (GMS) Sichal were allegedly being subjected to “extremist and violent” teachings.
A video which was posted by Shakeel on social media showed the accused teacher identified as Chander Kumar capturing the morning assembly at the school with his mobile phone while welcoming students to the start of the new academic session.
“Today is November 6 and new classes have started at Government Middle School Sichal. Kids have returned to school and the morning assembly is being conducted. I welcome the students. Jai Hind. Jai Bharat,” Kumar can be heard saying in the 20-second video.
In Kumar’s background, more than three dozen small boys and girls can be seen in the lawns of the school queued up for the morning assembly and reciting the controversial song.
“Khoon se tilak karo, goliyon se aarti (Use blood for tilak and perform aarti with bullets),” the children can be heard chanting as Kumar records the selfie-video.
Aarti is a Hindu prayer ceremony which involves offering light from a flame to a deity, accompanied by singing devotional hymns.
The video which went viral on social media prompted public outrage and a complaint to the Doda CEO alleging that the teacher was imparting “extremist and violent teachings” to students while seeking action against him.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
