For namaz,Shajahanpur DM allows half day in schools
DM cites 2004 order issued by Mulayam,which was later withdrawn.
Citing an order issued in 2004 by then Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav,Shahjahanpur,District Magistrate (DM) Rajmani Yadav has declared half day in all government primary schools on Fridays to enable Muslims teachers to offer their “Juma Namaz (Friday prayers)”.
The normal timing of government primary schools during winters is from 10 am to 4 pm,which has now been changed to 7:30 am to 12:30 pm for Fridays so that Muslim teachers can offer namaz.
“Their namaz begins from 12.30,so I have changed the timings. It has been done on the basis of a 2004 government order,” confirmed the district magistrate.
In 2004,when Mulayam had issued the orders for a half-day holiday of all schools up to intermediate level so that Muslim teachers and students could offer namaz,it had become an issue.
Even Muslims had not demanded any such privilege and the Bharatiya Janata Party had protested against the decision.
Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Katiyar,who was the then state president of BJP,had demanded similar relaxation for Hindus to offer puja on Tuesday.
The order was withdrawn by Mulayam and subsequently another order authorising the concerned DM to take appropriate action was issued.
The issue,however,got buried and no DM took the initiative. Even the Muslim groups did not demand so.
“I have no idea if the 2004 government order has been withdrawn. The order itself is not clear,” Rajmani Yadav said. Earlier,Yadav had sanctioned one-hour special leave to Muslim teachers between 1 and 2 pm on Fridays to offer namaz while the schools were to remain open. It has now been amended by changing the school timings to 7.30 am to 12:30 pm.
Even officials at primary education department in Lucknow claimed that there is no such order for half day closure of schools facilitating Muslim teachers to offer namaz on Fridays.
“There is no such government order in this regard. During my career I have never seen such an order issued by the government,” Vasudev Yadav,director,primary education,stated. He,however,claimed that one- hour leave to Muslim teachers on Fridays is a matter of mutual understanding.
Lallan Mishra,state president,Primary Teachers Union,also claimed that there is no provision for granting one-hour special leave to Muslims on Fridays. “Koi kanoon nahin hai. If some DM has done this,it is his local jurisdiction… We do not object when they leave for namaz,but it is not a government order,” he said.
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