Children singing Mohammad Iqbal’s prayer song in UP school becomes a police case

Bareilly: The divisive work at play by the right wing once again prevailed in UP’s Bareilly district where a government school principal has been suspended over a video in which children can be heard singing a prayer song written by an eminent Urdu poet Mohammad Iqbal.

After the video of children singing the prayer song 'lab pe aati hai dua banke tamanna meri' in the morning assembly session in the school surfaced, the state's Education department has suspended the principal on the basis of a complaint allegedly filed by the ring wing group.

The group has also made an FIR with the police over the incident but reportedly no arrest has so far been registered despite filing a case by the police.

The police justified the filing of a case over the incident because the song was not on the approved list, besides the song pertained to a particular community.

The Education Department said the principal has been suspended on the basis of initial information and they will conduct an inquiry into the matter.

The song in question was penned in 1902 by Urdu poet Mohammad Iqbal, who also wrote the famous lines "Sare jahan se achcha Hindustan hamara".

In 2019, a headmaster in the state's Pilibhit district was also suspended after the students were heard singing the song. Following a complaint by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's local unit, the authorities took action.

At the time, reports said the Pilibhit District Magistrate had claimed the headmaster was suspended because he was not making the students sing the national anthem.

Last month, right-wing activists in Karnataka's Udupi held protests against the authorities of a private school after the students staged a performance of "Azan", the Muslim call to prayer at a sports event. The Mother Teresa Memorial School at Shankaranarayana town had to apologise after the activists confronted the school authorities.