A shocking incident has come to light in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, where a teacher at the Neha Public School in Khubbapur village instructed her students to take turns in hitting a Muslim student. The incident which took place on Thursday, August 24, was captured on video that showed the student being targeted while the teacher made derogatory remarks about his Muslim identity.
The teacher, identified as Tripta Tyagi, can be heard on the video asking the students to hit the Muslim boy, who appeared helpless and visibly distressed. In the recording, Tripta is heard using a colloquial term, "Mohammedan children," to refer to the Muslims, while speaking to the person recording the video.
She even addresses the person recording the video, saying, "I've made it clear, all these Muslim children, go to their area…" Her words trail off as the person seems to concur.
As one child sits down after hitting the boy, the teacher says, "Why are you hitting him so gently? Hit him harder. Whose turn is it next?”, she asks.
As the boy begins to cry, she says, "This time, hit his lower back… go on… don't hit his face anymore, it's turning red… hit his lower back now." Subsequently, the children start hitting the boy's lower back as he continues sobbing.
According to the police, this incident occurred in Khubbapur village under the jurisdiction of Mansoorpur police station. The Superintendent of Police (City) said that they received a video where the teacher was ordering students of a class to beat a child. He said that the basic education officer has been informed and departmental action will be taken against the teacher.
Meanwhile, the Muslim boy’s father, Irshad, in a video, said that he won’t send his child to the school. He however added that he does not want to file a police complaint. He said, “We have reached a settlement. She returned the fees and I won’t file a complaint against her.”
Khatauli Circle Officer Ravi Shankar told The Indian Express that they were trying to convince the child’s father to file a complaint and after that legal action would be taken. Shubham Shukla, the Basic Education Officer of Muzaffarnagar wrote a letter to the school's administration seeking a response. He said that the teacher was “clearly instigating the children to beat the child.”
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights also took note of the matter. "We've been informed about an occurrence in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, where a teacher allegedly encouraged students to assault another child. Directives are being issued for necessary measures. It is urged that the video of the child not be circulated, and any information regarding such incidents should be shared via email. It's essential not to contribute to the offense by disclosing the identities of the children," said Priyank Kanoongo, the chairperson of the commission.
उत्तरप्रदेश के मुज़फ़्फ़रनगर में एक शिक्षिका द्वारा कक्षा में बच्चे को अन्य बच्चों से पिटवाये जाने की घटना की जानकारी मिली है।
— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (@KanoongoPriyank) August 25, 2023
संज्ञान ले कर कार्यवाही हेतु निर्देश जारी किए जा रहे हैं,सभी से निवेदन है कि बच्चे का वीडियो शेयर न करें इस तरह की घटना की जानकारी ईमेल द्वारा दें,बच्चों…
Altamash's father Irshad gave it in writing to @muzafarnagarpol police that he doesn't want to file a police complaint against the teacher. He decided to remove his kid from this school by taking back the fee which he had paid. While speaking to me, he says, “I didn't want to… https://t.co/VsnMchj7YO pic.twitter.com/wgAaGOEOUf
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) August 25, 2023