ABVP Activists Demonstrate at School in Bhind, Madhya Pradesh Over Student's 'Tilak' and 'Kalwa'
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Bhopal, Dec 12 (NationPress) Members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarti Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest at a missionary school located in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind after a dispute arose over a student's right to wear a 'kalawa' (sacred thread) and apply a 'tilak'. On Wednesday around noon, approximately 25-30 ABVP members, accompanied by some parents, shouted religious slogans as they entered the premises of St. Michael's School.
The demonstrators chanted 'Jai Shri Ram' and recited the Hanuman Chalisa while seated in the school's courtyard.
ABVP representatives accused the school of sending a sixth-grade girl home for wearing a 'kalawa' and having a 'tilak' on her forehead.
Pankaj Sharma, the student's father, informed media representatives that his daughter was forced to leave school because of her religious symbols.
According to Sharma, this incident took place on December 5.
“When I learned of the situation and visited the school, I was treated disrespectfully by the principal and asked to leave,” Sharma claimed.
However, the principal of St. Michael's School refuted these claims, stating that no such event had transpired. Instead, the principal asserted that notices had been issued to parents regarding outstanding fees.
“More than 90 percent of the teaching staff at this school are from the Hindu community. It’s true that we sent notifications to some parents about overdue fees. Notices were sent to the parents of multiple students with pending payments,” the principal stated.
He also mentioned that Pankaj Sharma visited his office on December 6.
“He has not paid fees for the last four years, and when we requested the outstanding amount, he left threatening us with complaints. The claim that we denied any student based on other grounds is entirely unfounded,” the principal added.
Following a complaint from the school, a police team, along with the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, arrived at the scene later in the evening to commence an investigation.
Mohanlal Sharma, a revenue officer leading the inquiry, remarked, “Upon receiving the complaint, we examined the school premises. We have confiscated the DVR of the CCTV cameras, and further inquiries are ongoing,” Sharma added.
