By Ritu Sharma
A play staged during the Independence Day programme at a municipal corporation school in Bhavnagar city, Gujarat, on August 15 has triggered a controversy over the alleged depiction of burqa-clad women as ‘terrorists’.
Bhavnagar District Education Officer (DEO) Hitendrasinh D Padheriya on Tuesday sent a notice to Bhavnagar Municipal School Board Administrative Officer (AO) Munjal Badmaliya seeking a factual report within seven days on the programme held at the school, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Pratmik Shala Number 51 in Kumbharwada area of Bhavnagar city.
The notice was issued based on the representation made by a social organisation, Bandharan Bachav Samiti Bhavnagar, which alleged that the play “depicted the Muslim community as terrorists” and demanded stern action against the “teachers behind the play”.
In the notice sent to Bhavnagar Municipal School Board Administrative Officer (AO) Munjal Badmaliya, the DEO sought details of the cultural programme at the school and asked whether the depiction as stated in the representation was intentional or unintentional, along with details of the function held on the school campus.
Confirming the development, Padheriya told The Indian Express, “The representation, marked to the District Collector, Municipal Commissioner and DEO on Monday, stated that there was a deliberate depiction of muslims as terrorists during the cultural programme held at the school on August 15. To find out facts and details, I have sought an explanation from the Administrative Officer within seven days.”
The all-girls school in Bhavnagar with an enrollment of more than 600 students has come under spotlight after videos of the cultural programme appeared on social media.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
