A scuffle broke out in Katiyar, Bihar, on 26th January when Afzal Hussain, a school teacher refused to sing Vande Mataram on Republic Day.
Katihar:Scuffle broke out when a primary school teacher Afzal Hussain refused to sing ‘Vande Mataram’ on Jan 26;Hussain says,”We worship Allah & Vande Mataram means ‘vandana'(worship) of Bharat which is against our belief.Constitution doesn’t say it’s necessary to sing it”.#Bihar pic.twitter.com/JjyEWpGRGt
— ANI (@ANI) February 7, 2019
He said, “We worship Allah and Vande Mataram means ‘vandana’ (worship) of Bharat which is against our belief. Constitution doesn’t say it is necessary to sing it.” This enraged the people and a scuffle broke out.
Also read: Muslim man’s child expelled from an Islamic school due to the father’s love for “Vande Mataram”
As per reports, for the Republic Day function in school when everyone was to sing Vande Mataram, Hussain refused to join in. Those present at the venue were surprised and asked Hussain to get up from his seat and participate in singing. But he refused to get up. He said, “I only worship Allah. And it is not written in the Constitution that I need to participate in singing Vande Mataram.”
Also read: Vande Mataram – the history of Muslim opposition and support
When the news that a Muslim teacher was asked to sign Vande Mataram spread in the locality, other people from Muslim community came together and a scuffle broke out between the groups.
