A government school teacher in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu was suspended Wednesday after a girl student alleged that a teacher had attempted to preach religion during the school hours. The student also alleged that the teacher “spoke of Christian supremacy and portrayed Hinduism in a bad light”, said officials.
In a video of the school girl, recorded in the presence of police officers, which was widely circulated in the local media, the girl alleged that one of their teachers insisted they read the Bible and demonstrate a prayer session by kneeling down on their knees and holding hands.
Conversion row rocks Tami Nadu again.
According to the parents of the student the girl was forced to read the bible.@sumanthraman, Political Analyst & Mohan Krishna, BJP Leader share their views with @shreyadhoundial pic.twitter.com/a63jtLzzD7
— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 13, 2022
“She asked us to read the Bible. We said we are Hindus, we read Bhagavad Gita not Bible. But she said the Gita is bad and that the Bible is the truth,” the student was heard saying in the video, elaborating more on how the teacher had suggested the idea of Satan to refer to Hindu Gods.
The matter came to light after some of the students who attended the class reported the incident to their parents, who filed complaints with the school authorities and the local police. As a result, an inquiry was conducted before the teachers and the students, in which the students detailed their alleged experience in the classroom. Police officers were seen in the background of the leaked video of the girl student, which was reportedly shot during the inquiry.
“Soon after the complaint was reported, the Chief Education Officer and the district administration conducted a preliminary inquiry and recommended disciplinary action against the teacher,” said a school department official.
When contacted, the Kanyakumari district collector M Aravind’s office said the teacher was suspended from service. “An inquiry commission has been constituted for a detailed inquiry,” the collector’s office said.
Source : Indian Express
