Hyderabad: While the entire Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and right-wing ecosystem in Hyderabad has been gunning for the Muslim teacher who was fired from her job at a private school in Hyderabad after she assigned reading “kalma” and “Surah Fateha” as homework to a Hindu student, she has found support from the most unusual corner: Madhavi Latha
Latha, a BJP leader from Hyderabad, demanded that the teacher be given back her job and claimed that the school was washing its hands by shifting the blame to her.
“I say that the teacher should be reinstated. That poor Muslim teacher should get her job back so that she can provide for her children. Are her children not suffering? The Hindu girl studying in Class 2 is suffering, but aren’t the children of that poor Muslim teacher suffering as well? Why are you using your power against a woman?” she said, while speaking to reporters on Thursday, July 16.
“You earn crores of rupees from Hindu students as well, yet today, you are taking action against a poor Muslim woman. You should be ashamed. Is this what the Quran teaches?” she added.
“It was not the teacher’s fault… she was encouraged to do this job. It is this mindset that we need to eradicate: that one person can impose their religion on others,” the BJP leader said, adding that schools are to impart modern thoughts and skills to students, and religion is a choice.
Teacher booked, fired from job over religious homework
A first information report (FIR) was registered against the teacher, identified as Shaik Aisha Parveen, and others of Success The School in Saidabad on Friday, July 17.
Following a complaint made by the student’s aunt, the FIR was booked under Section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act (cruelty to child) against the teacher, a police official told PTI.
The previous day, the school management had terminated the services of the teacher and permanently barred her from applying for employment at any institution under the Success Group of Educational Institutions in the future.
Follow on Twitter | Edited by Saleha Fatima | 
