After a controversy erupted over Shivansh Jain, a Class 7 student, alleging that he was punished for raising the slogan 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' at a missionary school in Madhya Pradesh's Guna, his father said he escalated the matter only because "my son was in distress."
"I had gone to talk to the school management. My child was in distress because he was made to sit on the floor – and I wanted to address it. But word got out, and many (political) party people got involved. And then, there was a lot of pressure to file an FIR," said the 12-year-old boy's father Rohit Jain.
What happened? Shivansh on Wednesday, 2 November, alleged that he was 'punished' for chanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' right after the national anthem was recited during the morning assembly at the school. The following day, members of the Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest outside the school, demanding action against the teachers.
And then? On a complaint by parents, Guna Police registered an FIR against two teachers under Section 75 (assault of a child by person in-charge) of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code, among others.
So, how did the situation unfold? "When the national anthem ended, I raised the slogan 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai'. Right after, one of my teachers held my collar. Then, my other teacher took me to the class teacher and told me – 'Don't do this in school. Do this at your home'," Shivansh told the media.
The boy was allegedly told to sit on the floor as punishment, he alleged.
Christ School, where the controversy unfolded, has had no practice of sloganeering after the national anthem – or anytime during the morning assembly. Having studied at the school from a young age, the boy is aware of the same.
So, why did he chant it? "I just said it," he said.
The same day, his parents recalled not finding their son looking his usual self.
Forty-year-old Rohit Jain recalled, "When I talked to him, I found out that he was scolded for saying 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' and then made to sit on the floor. I know it's not a common practice, but because chanting 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' is not a sin, I decided to talk to the teachers. I went to meet them the same day."
However, the father didn't intend to hold a protest.
"I talked to his class teacher who apologised to me. But I wanted to meet the principal and the teacher who had punished him. I decided to go back to his school again the next day. Meanwhile, I had discussed the matter with a few of my local friends – and somehow word got out. The next morning, before I could go to school, I started getting calls from people saying there was a protest going on at the school over the issue," he said.
Virendra Singh Baghel, Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Guna, confirmed that an FIR has been registered against the two teachers on the basis of the complaint by the parents.
Where does the school stand? In the wake of the protests, school principal Thomas Curian told the media that the slogan was "raised as a joke, and not out of patriotism."
On being asked about the parents demanding action against the teachers who allegedly punished the student, the principal said that a disciplinary committee meeting will be called to decide upon that.
The school then also issued a formal apology. In a letter, they stated that 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' will be raised after the national anthem in the school assembly. They further added that the school will take action against the teachers who punished the boy on Wednesday.
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