A bulldozer, barricades and state police in riot gear were deployed near Madhya Pradesh’s Ganga Jamuna Higher Secondary School on Tuesday evening. This comes days after a controversy erupted regarding allegations that Hindu female students were forced to wear hijab in the school.
Following the row on June 11, the municipal authority threatened to demolish parts of the school premises it considers ‘unauthorised’.
After reaching the school security forces and municipal officers faced protests by sloganeering students and parents.
About 50 students and parents marched to the school raising slogans of “Hamara school chalu karo (reopen our school),” near the barricades, The Quint reported.
Meanwhile, a municipal official, Bhaiya Lal who was present at the spot said that the bulldozer had been deployed to clean drains in the vicinity.
“There is nothing to be panic about, the bulldozer had arrived to clean drains in the vicinity only and people thought the school would be raised down so they protested,” Bhaiya Lal was quoted by The Quint.
However, hours later, the authorities were spotted arriving at the school with a bulldozer and heavy police force, in riot gear. They then began demolishing parts of the first floor of the school.
Notably, the school landed in a controversy last week when it pasted on its wall a poster congratulating its board exam toppers.
Using the pictures of the same poster, various right-wing outfits, including the VHP and ABVP, alleged that non-Muslim girl students were forced to wear hijab as seen in their pictures.
Following this, a team of district education officials inspected the school and suspended the recognition of Ganga Jamuna school claiming the norms were not complied with properly.
The school’s principal Afsha Sheikh, mathematics teacher Anas Atahar and security guard Rustam Ali were arrested after outrage.
The school which is located in Damoh city was established in 2020 by the Ganga Jamuna Welfare Society and is reportedly the only English-medium school in Damoh’s Futera ward.
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