Mumbai: A legal notice has been issued to Ideal College in Kalyan after members of Hindutva groups allegedly compelled three Muslim students to apologise for offering prayers inside an empty classroom. The notice was sent by Bombay High Court advocate Fayaz Shaikh.
The incident involved activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, who reportedly forced the three pharmacy students to apologise. The notice seeks details of those who compelled the students to apologise and asks how individuals from outside the campus were able to enter the college premises.
On 22 November a video of the students praying in an empty classroom had gone viral. Soon after, Bajrang Dal and VHP members allegedly entered the campus, made the students apologise, and recorded the act. In the widely circulated video, the students are seen holding their ears before a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji and stating that they would not engage in any religious activity in a public space. Chants of “Jai Shri Ram” are also heard in the footage. Reports say the groups had demanded the college management to take action against the students.
Police reached the college following the incident but took no action as no complaint was lodged.
The legal notice states that only college authorities have the power to take disciplinary action and urges the institution to ensure that students do not face such humiliation again. It also calls for written assurances that security measures will be strengthened to prevent similar incidents and that all CCTV footage be preserved for any future inquiry.
Advocate Shaikh said that even if the students had violated any college rule, the management could have taken action without any interference from outsiders.