New Delhi/Goalpara: Congress Rajya Sabha MP Syed Naseer Hussain on Thursday condemned the proposed expulsion of five Muslim students from a government higher secondary school in Goalpara, Assam, calling the case evidence of “an atmosphere of fear, discrimination and polarisation” under the BJP.
The students faced disciplinary action after one pupil was accused of bringing beef in a tiffin box. The episode led to the detention of a minor student and the arrest of his widowed mother, prompting sharp criticism from the opposition MP.
“Under BJP rule in Assam, even schoolchildren are not spared from an atmosphere of fear, discrimination and polarisation. Schools should nurture young minds, not become sites of exclusion and prejudice,” Hussain said, questioning why a minor was detained and why the mother was arrested in a school related matter.
Hussain asked authorities to explain how expelling children could be justified when education is a fundamental right, and whether targeting minors from minority communities has become an accepted outcome of divisive politics. He urged the National Commission for Women, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the Assam Minority Welfare Department to intervene to protect the students’ rights, dignity and future.
Local school officials and organisations had discussed disciplinary measures against the five students following the allegation.