Bhopal: The hijab controversy surrounding the Ganga Jamuna school in Madhya Pradesh’s Damoh district has been intensifying with three persons including the principal and a teacher apprehended by the police.
The private English medium school Ganga Jamuna became the centre of a storm when a poster of topper students of the institution, including Hindu girls, wearing the hijab emerged on social media.
With a ‘religious conversion’ angle now alleged, an FIR was lodged against the school management a few days back.
Home Minister Narottam Mishra has now said that the state administration is likely to carry out a 'bulldozer operation' against the school. He added that while the accused involved in the alleged conversion issue were being detained, the police were looking for those on the run.
"The investigation is still underway and the accused are being arrested one after another. The police have also launched a search for those on the run. Those involved in the case will not be spared and bulldozer action will also be carried out," Mishra said, adding that "layers of crime are being peeled away one after another. Things will become clearer once the police complete its investigation."
The leaders and ministers of the ruling BJP are accusing the officials, including the Damoh district collector, of being 'biased' in their investigation and are pushing for a high level inquiry into the matter.
The BJP has also alleged that the incident has a 'terror funding' link. Amid the commotion, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter.
Now, a fresh allegation has been made by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairman Priyank Kanoongo. He claimed that the Ganga Jamuna School group was running a hostel in Bhopal which was also being used for alleged 'religious conversion'. He has also demanded a probe into it.
Meanwhile, the Damoh Municipality has issued a notice against the school. The notice states that certain constructions have been carried out within the school premises without obtaining the necessary permissions. The school has been given a three-day period to provide a satisfactory response to the notice. Failure to do so may result in the municipality taking bulldozer action, implying the potential demolition of the unauthorized constructions.
With inputs from IANS