The Islamic festival of Eid-ul-Fitr is going to fall on 31st March-1st April. However, Auckland House School, which is a well-known private English-medium institution located in Shimla of Himachal Pradesh, sparked outrage over Eid celebrations. The objection arose after the school circulated a notice asking primary students to wear kurta-pyjama and a small cap, and to bring sevaiyan, paneer and dry fruits on 28th March in preparation for a pre-Eid event.
Notably, Auckland House School is a Christian institution that “aims at providing a sound education based on Christian principles and inculcating values through the life and teachings of Jesus,” according to their official website.
AP Singh, the leader of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), lambasted the school administration and described the move as a “blatant example of shallow secularism.” He wondered why, in the name of secularism, a Christian missionary school was making its students wear religious outfits and engage in religious rites. “Celebrating festivals is fine, but dictating dress codes for religious events is not acceptable. Auckland House School must realize it is not a madrasa. If this is secularism, then let them also issue similar orders for Hindu festivals like Ram Navami or Krishna Janmashtami,” he challenged.
As the dispute intensified, the Dev Bhoomi Sangarsh Samiti, a Hindu organization, expressed its dissent and threatened to stage a protest outside the educational institution and take legal action against it. On 24th March, the school ultimately rescinded its decision in light of the mounting opposition. On the other hand, Rohit Thakur, the minister of education denied these allegations, stating that the matter is being unduly intensified to disrupt societal harmony.
“This issue is being exaggerated only to provoke communal sentiments. The matter will be investigated. However, the message from the school administration was issued solely with the intent of maintaining communal harmony,” he conveyed while talking to ANI. “Today itself, I became aware of this matter through media reports. We will confirm the details, as the school being named is a well-established, reputed convent institution here. Himachal Pradesh is known for its communal harmony and goodwill, and we will ensure that this remains intact,” he further claimed.
The minister held social media responsible for exacerbating these issues. “There are certain individuals in society who unnecessarily attempt to create rifts. These matters must be put to rest. I have gathered information about the entire case because, in today’s era of social media, it does not take long for such issues to escalate. We stand in favor of strengthening communal harmony. Our social fabric must remain intact, with respect for all religions. That is what we will strive to uphold,” he added.
Auckland House School cries foul, releases statement
Meanwhile, the school at the heart of the row stated that the decision was allegedly revoked because “safety and well-being of our children is our highest priority.” It claimed, “The planned Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations for classes nursery to 2 was a part of their efforts to help young students appreciate India’s cultural diversity, just as we celebrate Holi, Diwali and Christmas. It was intended purely as a cultural learning experience, with no religious rituals and enforcement and participation was entirely voluntary,” in a fresh communique to the parents.
It further added that the school has chosen to cancel the event to maintain harmony and protect the environment in the wake of the recent misinformation and concerns about possible disruption and students are expected to attend class in their regular uniforms.
It also issued a detailed statement rejecting the claims and urging for responsible conduct online. The school also highlighted its enduring practice of celebrating cultural and religious festivals. It asserted that participation is always optional and that there is no religious ceremony or instruction involved, while claiming to promote empathy, understanding and respect among kids from all backgrounds.
“We strongly condemn attempts to misrepresent these celebrations as religious propaganda. Such actions only serve to harm social harmony and misguide the public. We are particularly concerned that these posts have disclosed information meant strictly for internal circulation, thereby violating privacy, endangering individuals, and breaching the norms of responsible digital conduct. This constitutes misuse of restricted information,” it mentioned in an official statement on social media.
“We respectfully urge all individuals and platforms to immediately remove such posts and stop compromising institutional and individual safety. Auckland House School remains firmly committed to the values enshrined in the Constitution and the ideals of unity in diversity. We call upon all right-thinking members of society to stand against such divisive and unethical actions, and to support an education grounded in mutual respect, dignity, and truth,” it stated.
Islamists, Communists play victim card over the issue
Predictably, the liberal-Islamist ecosystem seized the opportunity to launch an attack on “Hindutva.” The Wire’s senior propagandist Arfa Khanum Sherwan whined over the issue and wrote, “This is how we say ‘Eid Mubarak’ in India,” insinuating religious intolerance in the country.
This is how we say ‘Eid Mubarak’ in India pic.twitter.com/uIP6LTrzPD
— Arfa Khanum Sherwani (@khanumarfa) March 27, 2025
Communist Party of India (Marxist) veteran also blamed the Hindutva outfit for the development.
Shimla school cancels Eid celebration after threats from Hindutva group https://t.co/vNdfLM0gZf via @scroll_in
— Subhashini Ali (@SubhashiniAli) March 27, 2025
Saba Khan reiterated similar sentiments, attributing the cancellation of the school’s earlier circular on Eid to Hindutva groups.
#Shimla, Himachal Pradesh: Private School in Shimla had to cancel ‘Eid celebrations’ after receiving threats from Hindutva organisations on Monday.
— Saba Khan (@ItsKhan_Saba) March 26, 2025
Students of Nursery to class 2 of Auckland House School were asked to wear Kurta pajama with a small cap and bring roti rolls with… pic.twitter.com/UqglIu99L8
Imposing Islamic practices, festivals on non-Muslim students
Just as individuals cannot be prevented from celebrating any festival, they also cannot be compelled to observe the same, including children. While the school circular might appear ordinary, it essentially mandated that students dress in a specific manner and take part in Eid celebrations. Certainly, even a fraction of this directive would have incited significant outcry among both Islamists and liberals, who are quick to decry oppression and saffronization at the slightest discomfort, yet remain silent when the same religious liberities are not afforded to members of the Hindu community.
It is noteworthy, this is not an isolated incident as students have been forced to follow Islamic practices including namaz and Muslim headscarfs by certain schools which resulted in severe backlash. A prominent incident was reported in 2023 from Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh, where Jain and Hindu schoolgirls were forced by the school administration to wear hijabs while Hindu symbols such as tilak and kalava were banned.
During 2023 Bakri Eid celebrations, Jnanasagara International School in Channarayapatna of Karnataka, came under fire for making Christian and Hindu pupils to recite passages from the Quran. Hindu activists protested when videos of the event went viral. The administration then claimed that although some Muslim students participated in namaz, others were not required to read Quranic versus.
In the same year, Bajrang Dal members demonstrated outside a private school in Dehradun, charging that non-Muslim students were pressured into celebrating Eid. After the demonstration, the school removed videos of the festivities from its social media accounts. This incident occurred after a similar protest at another Doon school, where Hindu groups complained that the administration was preventing students from playing Holi while pushing them to celebrate Eid.
An agitation by Hindu organizations in 2023 led to the suspension of the principal and two teachers of BLS International School in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh for asking students to perform namaz during Eid celebrations inside the premises. The management claimed that kids sang as part of the celebration of Eid ul Fitr and World Heritage Day. However, action was taken and an investigation was launched into the matter.
Saint Pius Missionary School in Khandwa of Madhya Pradesh faced backlash for planning a Kalma and Quran reading program during the assembly prior to Eid al-Adha, in 2023. The district education department opened an investigation after the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) lodged a complaint. The Hindu group also received complaints from parents of the students regarding the same matter.
Last year, the discovery that students were being taught namaz caused a huge uproar in Jamnagar and Vadodara of Gujarat. A staff worker was heard urging the youngsters to raise the “Ya Hussain, Ya Hussain” slogan in a video of the Sonalnagar Anganwadi in Jamnagar that went viral on social media. They were also told bout Eid and instructed on how to perform namaz. The children at Karnali Anganwadi, which is situated in Dabhoi of Vadodara reportedly offered namaz. One of the staff members there told them to do the Islmaic prayer and wrapped a handkerchief around their heads to celebrate Eid.
During an Eid event at Gyansthali Public School in Sirmaur in 2024, the institution’s administration told the nursery kids to wear hijabs and Islamic headgear. The Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad expressed their disapproval of the school’s conduct after which he management acknowledged their error and promised to avoid it in the future.
An FIR (First Information Report) was filed against the principal of Nyaya Nagar Public School in Prayagraj in 2022 for offending religious sentiments because students were asked to post 20-second videos of themselves dressed in “Eid attire” and wishing one another a “Happy Eid” as part of the celebrations. Girls were to wear a salwar-kurta and dupatta whereas boys had to put on a kurta and cap. “Children are innocent and talking about giving more marks for wearing Eid outfits and making videos is an attempt to get them attracted towards a particular religion. This can be regarded as a step in the direction of religious conversion,” Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Lal Mani Tiwari had voiced.
Conclusion
The aforementioend instances are just a glimpse of a much broader issue. It is rather astonishing that these diktats placed on non-Muslim, particularly Hindu students, are consistently presented as mechanisms for promoting national unity, peace, and brotherhood. However, one must question why similar outcomes cannot be realized during Hindu festivals. Additionally, how can the act of pushing something on individuals foster a sense of acceptance or tolerance towards that very imposition? More importantly, how the celebration of Hindu events and the country’s roots and culture, which are significantly more unifying than any festival is viewed as anti-minority or anti-Muslim.
Moreover, Hindu processions and festivals, including the recent Holi, regularly suffer assault from Muslim mobs. Hindus are not allowed to mark any religious event in peace while their children are expected to engage in Eid festivities at their educational institutions and it is portrayed as a grand act of promoting communal harmony and peace. Islamists and their lackeys who oppose the protests against Eid celebrations in schools often choose to either remain silent in implicit support, engage in whitewashing, or create misleading narratives when Hindu festivals are under attack.
It is quite reasonable to assert that individual choices, including those of young students, should be honored, as it is ultimately the decision of the parents regarding their child’s participation in any religious celebrations. It is not justifiable to require them to partake in festivals that do not correspond with their cultural or religious heritage under the pretense of secularism only to play victim card after the protests.
