Amid a controversy over mandating Vande Mataram in government schools in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir, a government school teacher has been suspended in the same district after a video surfaced showing him filming himself as he urged students to chant “Khoon se tilak karo, goliyon se aarti (Use blood for tilak and perform aarti with bullets)” during a morning assembly session, following a complaint that he was imparting extremist teachings to young minds.
The action was initiated after a local activist, Raja Shakeel, lodged a complaint with the chief education officer (CEO) of Doda, alleging that the students at Government Middle School (GMS) Sichal were being subjected to extremist and violent teachings, The Wire reported.
The video, which quickly went viral on social media, showed the teacher, identified as Chander Kumar, welcoming students to the beginning of the new academic session while recording the morning assembly, where several children were seen chanting the controversial song.
The footage drew widespread criticism, with concerns raised over the kind of lessons being imparted to impressionable schoolchildren, as the chants were seen as promoting violence instead of moral or civic values, leading to the complaint urging the authorities to take immediate action to prevent such practices from undermining the spirit of education, and to restore public confidence in the government school system.
Responding, the CEO suspended Chander Kumar and constituted a three-member inquiry committee comprising principals of higher secondary schools in Chilli, Jakyas and Chanti to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a factual report within two days, with directions to withhold Kumar’s salary until the completion of the inquiry, stating that the decision had been taken in the interest of maintaining decorum and safeguarding the welfare of students.
The incident has added another layer of tension to the ongoing debate surrounding the administration’s directive mandating the recital of Vande Mataram during morning assemblies in all government schools of Jammu and Kashmir. The order, first reported from the Doda district last week, had already drawn objections from religious leaders who described the directive as coercive and inconsistent with Islamic beliefs.