A government school teacher named Shakeel Mohammad reportedly set fire to images of Hindu deities and Bharat Mata, in the Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, he attempted to burn the national flag. He is also accused of forcing Quran and Namaz upon the students.
The matter pertains to a secondary school in the village of Nagpura, located in Mahidpur. A student of the institution informed his uncle, Rohit Rathore, about the Muslim man’s outrageous actions.
According to the students, on 11th July, he destroyed the images of Lord Ganesha, Goddess Saraswati and Bharat Mata in front of the students and set them ablaze. According to media reports, Rohit Rathore came to the school following a complaint on 16th July.
He talked to other students who witnessed the incident and confirmed that the same was true. The families of other pupils then came together and captured visuals of the destroyed pictures after which the recordings were handed over to the authorities.
Afterward, Rohit Rathore launched a complaint against the accused. He informed that his nephew, Anurag Rathore is a student in the sixth grade at Madhyamik Vidyalaya Nagpur. He disclosed Shakeel Mohammad had burnt photographs of Hindu gods and Bharat Mata before the students and threatened to kill them if they revealed the occurrence to anyone.
Furthermore, the perpetrator exerted pressure on students to perform Namaz and read Quran during class and declared that he will instruct them how to do it. He also used offensive language towards the parents of the students. He reportedly behaved in a similar manner when he taught at the school in the Lasudiya Mansoor area previously. He has been known to repeat such actions while serving at other schools as well.
Shakeel Mohammad has been arrested and a case has been booked under section 298, 351(3) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against him. The police presented him in Mahidpur court and sent him to jail. District Education Officer Anand Sharma has also suspended him from his position.
Hindu organistaions also protested after the matter came to light. The workers of Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal surrounded the police station and demonstrated against him. They submitted a memorandum to the police station in-charge and demanded strict action.
