Shillong, August 27: A teacher at a government higher secondary school situated in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir was apprehended on Saturday following an incident where he reportedly assaulted a student for inscribing ‘Jai Shri Ram’ on the blackboard.
As per India Today, the teacher, Mohammad Farooq, has been suspended along with Principal Mohammad Hafiz. Although Farooq has been detained, the whereabouts of the school principal remain unknown.
The alleged incident involved the teacher physically assaulting a student for the act of writing ‘Jai Shri Ram’ on the blackboard within the classroom. Both the teacher and the principal are now facing legal charges, encompassing Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement), 504 (intentional insult), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Additionally, they are charged under Section 75 (cruelty to child) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.
Following the occurrence in Kathua, the Deputy Commissioner initiated a response by forming a three-member committee to conduct an inquiry. This committee comprises the Sub Divisional Magistrate of Bani, the Deputy Chief Education Officer of Kathua, and the principal of the government higher secondary school in Kharote.
This incident came to public attention shortly after a video emerged from Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh, where another teacher was seen encouraging her students to assault a fellow Muslim student.