A teacher in a government school in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district has been transferred after she allegedly asked two Muslim students to “go to Pakistan”. However, the teacher, identified as Manjula Devi, has denied the allegations, reports The Indian Express.
Devi is accused of making the remark to the two students, studying in Class 5, at the school located in Tipu Nagar.
Acting on a complaint by Shivamogga JD(S) leader A Nazrullah, the Karnataka Department of School Education and Literacy has transferred the teacher and initiated a departmental inquiry against her. In his complaint, he said that the teacher allegedly told the two students, “India is not your country. This a country of Hindus. You should go to Pakistan.”
The children had informed the parents after they returned to their homes, who in turn alerted the local leaders.
After a complaint was registered, the block education officer conducted a preliminary probe and submitted a report.
Parameshwarappa C R, Deputy Director of Public Instruction (Shivamogga) told that daily that a complaint in this regard was received on Thursday.
“Action was initiated against the teacher based on a preliminary inquiry by the block education officer,” he said.
Parameshwarappa added that during the initial probe Devi said that she was discipling the students as they had become unruly and were not respecting her.
The incident comes days after a teacher in a private school in Khubbapur village in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzzafarnagar allegedly asked students of the class to “hit hard” a Muslim boy, as he had made a mistake in multiplication tables.
The video of the incident was widely shared on social media leading to massive outrage and calls for action against the teacher and the school.
In the video, Tripta Tyagi who also owns the school, could be heard purportedly saying, “Maine toh declare kar diya, jitne bhi Mohammedan bachche hain, inke wahan chale jao (I have declared — all these Muslim children, go to anyone’s area)…”