A distressing wave of communal incidents is haunting India these days. Although reams have been written on episodes of mob justice — unfailingly spun off as Hindu extremism — not one murmur has arisen from the section of the so-called liberal media against the ordeal of Hindu students in Mewat who were forced to offer namaz by their teachers. Imagine for a moment the commotion Lutyens intelligentsia would have let loose had this been the case of Muslim children being forced to subscribe to Hindu articles of faith. The controversial incident transpired in Madhi village in Haryana, where two teachers have been suspended and one transferred for allegedly forcing Hindu students to embrace Islam. Forcing any religion on the citizen is a violation of the Fundamental Right enshrined in the Constitution of India that guarantees to all the “right freely to profess, practice and propagate religion.” Besides, educational institutions are expected to cultivate a scientific and secular temperament amongst students and help them overcome sectarian and myopic perspectives.

Source: dna August 07, 2017 02:37 UTC