BANGALORE (Web Desk) – In secular India, a 15-year-old Muslim student forced to recite prayers from Hindu scriptures in the school assembly, was humiliated when he mispronounced Sanskrit words, reported Hindustan Times.
A school in Bengaluru adopted a few Sanskrit verses as its official prayer for the morning assembly this academic year. Last week, when the principal noticed that Naushad and few other Muslim students were not reciting the prayer, they were punished for it.
“I was humiliated in front of 1,200 students and my constitutional right was violated. She (principal) made us go on stage and forced us to sing the prayer in front of everybody. She scolded me in front of everyone on the mike when I mispronounced a few Sanskrit words,” said the remarkably articulate Naushad.
Outraged, his mother along with activists of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) approached the school and tried to lodge a complaint with the principal.
“The principal acted like she didn’t understand what the fuss was all about. She kept saying that prayer was important to instill values and discipline in students. She just didn’t understand when we tried to explain that we belong to a different faith,” Naushad’s mother said.
Naushad, who is also the head boy of his school, said the incident has “hurt his pride”.
“There is a reason we did not send our children to madrassas. We wanted them to get a secular education,” said Naushad’s mother.
