BJP criticised over video of UP teacher asking children to slap classmate

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge held “hate-filled politics of the BJP-RSS” responsible while reacting to an incident seen in an undated viral video where a private school school teacher in Muzaffarnagar was instructing children in her class to slap their Muslim classmate.

The viral video goes on to show children taking turns striking the crying Muslim student with the teacher looking on. The video sparked outrage online after it was circulated.

Taking to the social media platform X Kharge said, “The manner in which a teacher get a child thrashed by other children on the basis of religious discrimination at a school in UP is a disturbing result of the hate-filled politics of the BJP-RSS.”

Kharge also alleged such incidents were tarnishing countries image globally. “Such incidents tarnish our global image. This is against the constitution,” said Kharge in his post.

“The poison of the divisive thinking of the ruling party has spread so much in the society that one hand an educator, Tripta Tyagi, teaching religious hatred to children since childhood, while a RPF jawan, Chetan Kumar, whose work is to provide security, is killing innocent people on the name of religion,” added Kharge in his post.

Kharge further said letting go any culprit in such is crimes is crime against the country. “Any kind of religious fanaticism and violence is against the country and to spare the guilty is a crime against the country,” Kharge said.

The incident also drew crtiticism from Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi who posted on X " The video from Muzaffarnagar where a teacher is asking her students to slap a Muslim boy is a product of the last 9 years. The message being drilled into the minds of little children is that one can beat up & humiliate a Muslim without any repercussions...."

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh has assured that the Police are investigating the incident and action will be taken once the investigation was complete.

Reacting to the incident the Minister said " In the state everyone has the right to the same level of education and ensuring this is the job and the priority of our government. The Police is probing the incident and further action will be taken once the investigation is complete."

According to the Muzaffarnagar police, they have seen the viral video where a woman teacher asked the students in a class to beat their classmate. "A video was received at Mansurpur police station today wherein a woman teacher asked the students of a class to beat their classmate for not learning multiplication tables. Some objectionable comments were also there in the video," Superintendent of Police Satyanarayan Prajapat said in a Video statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.

"After investigating the video, it was found that the teacher was declaring that those Mohammedan students get spoiled whose mothers don’t pay attention to their studies (Jin Mohammedan baccho ki maa unke padhai par dhyan nahi deti hai, unn baccho ki padhai ka naash ho jata hai). The person recording the video also confirms this," the Superintendent of Police said.

"Regarding this incident, the Basic Education Officer has been informed and departmental action will be taken against the woman teacher," the Police added.