School teacher suspended for ‘playing Azaan’ during morning assembly in Mumbai
A video of the assembly session of the school located in Mahavir Nagar went viral Friday morning wherein an Islamic prayer could be heard being played on loudspeakers
3 min read
The parents' protest was led by local BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar. Meanwhile, local Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Sawant submitted a complaint to the police alleging that the school is trying to convert the students and the same has hurt the sentiments of the parents. After a few parents objected, a teacher of Kapol Vidyanidhi International School in Mumbai’s Kandivali was suspended on Friday for allegedly playing the Azaan during the morning assembly. The incident also sparked a political row leading to protests at the school.
A purported video of the assembly session of the school located in Mahavir Nagar went viral on Friday morning wherein an Islamic prayer could be heard being played on loudspeakers. One of the protesting parents said, “Most of us come here for morning walks. Hearing the Azaan during the morning prayer was extremely unusual. Soon after the video went viral, parents started gathering at the school.”
According to school principal Dr Reshma Hegde, it was an initiative to inform the students about prayers of different religions. “This is a misrepresentation of our attempt,” she said.
However, agitated parents denied having any information of any such initiative. “None of us were informed about it,” said a parent adding that they would have objected if they would have been informed. “We are sending kids here because this is a Hindu school. There was no need to play an Islamic prayer. Will there be any Hindu prayer in a Madrasa?” asked another agitated parent.
The parents’ protest was led by local BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar. Meanwhile, local Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Sawant submitted a complaint to the police alleging that the school is trying to convert the students and the same has hurt the sentiments of the parents.
Sagar arrived at the school gate following which the protestors barged into the school campus demanding to meet the principal of the school. “A teacher belonging to the minority community deciding to play the Azaan from her phone into the loudspeaker during the morning assembly of Friday is not just a mistake. There is democracy in this country but we will not let it be exploited like this,” said Sagar, demanding the suspension of the teacher.
Local corporator Pratibha Girkar said, “Not only is this a Hindu school, there has never been a practice of playing any Islamic prayer in this school. The school administration is reasoning with us that it was not aware of it. But how can a teacher decide to play the Azaan on loudspeakers of the school without any knowledge of the administration?”
Addressing the protesting crowd, Hegde said, “The teacher has been suspended and an enquiry has been initiated. This is a Hindu school and our prayers include Gayatri Mantra and Saraswati Vandana. We assure that such an instance will not be repeated in the future.”
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