A school teacher in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district was suspended on Tuesday, 5 April, for allegedly thrashing two female students for donning religious symbols. While one of the students came to the classroom wearing a hijab, the other had a tilak on her forehead.
The students study in the fourth standard in Rajouri's Government Middle School Khadurian Panchyat Dramman.
The teacher has been identified as Nisar Ahmad and an inquiry has been ordered into the incident by the local administration.
Fathers of the Girls Appeal for Justice
The fathers of the two young students have recorded a video jointly to condemn the treatment meted out to their daughters, and demanded that an inquiry be conducted into the matter.
"The way my daughter was beaten or Shakoor's daughter (the other girl student) was beaten, tomorrow another teacher can beat a child for wearing a tika or niqab. I appeal to the administration and civil society that there should be an inquiry," the father of one of the girls said in the video.
The father also said that such a situation should never take place again in Jammu and Kashmir.
"It is an attempt to disturb communal harmony. We will not allow this place to become Uttar Pradesh, Bihar or Karnataka," he added.
Inquiry to be Conducted: Police
Meanwhile, the Rajouri deputy commissioner put out a statement regarding the incident, saying that the accused is liable to be punished under under sections 323, 325, 352 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for beating the children.
"Whereas, section 23 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, states that whoever having charge of the child, assaults a child, is punishable with imprisonment which may extend to six months or fine or both," the order emphasised.
The order also said that the Additional District Magistrate will hold an inquiry to find out "whether it is true that children were beaten; and the specific reasons for beating".
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