Bajrang Dal members led by Hiren Rabari forced their way into Anand Niketan School by jumping over the gates and breaking a lock, carrying sticks and creating a ruckus over the school’s reading material and practices. They objected to Class 5 students being asked to read I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai and The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, alleging that the books were “anti-national” and “anti-Hindu.” They also accused the school of discontinuing morning prayers and the national anthem and alleged an “anti-national conspiracy” to turn the school into a “madrasa.”
The Ahmedabad education department has fined the school ₹10,000 and issued it a notice, while the District Education Officer ordered an inquiry. The school clarified that I Am Malala was not part of the curriculum and was available only through an optional library programme. Following the controversy, education consultant and curriculum designer Munazza Shums was relieved of her association with the institution.
In Ahmedabad, Bajrang Dal Members Raid School Over Malala and Anne Frank Books
Location: Shilaj, Ahmedabad, Gujarat