Parents protest `playing of azaan’ at Mumbai school; teacher suspended

Mumbai: Parents and political activists staged a protest on Friday at a private school in suburban Kandivali after ‘azaan’ or the Islamic call to prayer was allegedly played during the morning assembly.

While the school principal said that the teacher responsible for playing azaan has been suspended, police said they were conducting an inquiry though no case has been registered yet.

Azaan was played on the loudspeaker during the assembly session of the school around 7 am, some parents said.

Local BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar, who joined in the protest, claimed that it was done intentionally and not by mistake, and the school was trying to shield the teacher who was responsible.

The school principal told mediapersons that the teacher was suspended.

“We promise that this won’t happen henceforth,” the principal said, adding that Saraswati pooja, Ganapati pooja and Navratri pooja are also conducted at the school.

“A complaint was received in Kandivali today that azaan was played during morning prayers at a school.

An enquiry is being conducted,” said deputy commissioner of police Ajay Kumar Bansal.