An incident of a teacher asking her students to slap one of their fellow classmates, who is a Muslim, has drawn sharp criticism from leaders of opposition parties. Congress, TMC, AIMIM, SP and others have blamed the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and RSS for the incident saying "it is a consequence of their (BJP-RSS) hate politics" and questioned CM Yogi Adityanath's government by asking "what happened to bulldozers and thok do". The entire case came to light when a video of a woman teacher from Muzaffarnagar went viral wherein she could be seen asking students to slap a boy, another student of the class, who is said to be a Muslim.
The teacher, identified as Tripta Tyagi, also allegedly made some objectionable remarks which have stirred controversy. Now, political parties have lashed out at the teacher and the BJP for the incident.
Meanwhile, the apex child rights body NCPCR has asked the people not to reveal the identity of the boy by sharing the viral video in which a teacher is seen asking her students to slap him. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Chairperson Priyank Kanoongo said instructions are being issued for action in the matter.
In a tweet on X (formerly Twitter), he said that instructions are being issued for action, and everyone is requested not to share the video of the child, give information about such incidents by e-mail, do not become a part of the crime by revealing the identity of the children.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his anguish over the incident and said that the case is a "disturbing result of the hate-filled politics of the BJP-RSS". Kharge added that such cases tarnish India's global image and are against the Constitution.
"The poison of the divisive thinking of the ruling party has spread so much in the society that on the one hand an education teacher, Tripta Tyagi, is teaching the lesson of religious hatred since childhood and on the other hand, the security personnel RPF jawan, Chetan Kumar, is killing innocent people in the name of religion," he added.
"Any kind of religious fanaticism and violence is against the country. To spare the guilty is a crime against the country. It is extremely condemnable," the Congress chief said. He asked for immediate strict action and punishment in the case.
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra reacted to the incident and questioned what kind of classroom is being built for future generations. "What kind of classroom, what kind of society do we want to give to our future generations?" she asked.
"Where there is a talk of technology to go to the moon or to build a boundary wall of hatred. The choice is clear. Hate is the biggest enemy of progress. We have to unite and speak against this hatred - for our country, for progress, for the coming generations," Gandhi further said.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor expressed shock over the incident saying he could believe "this is happening in our country & the people concerned are not in jail".
"This is unbelievable...All Indians must hang our heads in #Shame that this is what all our constitutional rights and freedoms can be reduced to," he tweeted.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said that she felt more angry than sad after seeing the video. She asked what the impact would be on the child's mind after the incident.
"Anger is coming thinking what effect this would have had on that helpless innocent mind. Will that child ever recover from this shock? How far has the hatred and poison of bigotry spread? There is only and only jail in place of this fierce woman. Chief Minister of the State @myogiadityanath Please take action," she said.
AIMIM Chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi took a jibe at CM Yogi Adityanath-led UP government and said "what happened to bulldozers and thok do?"
"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," he tweeted.
Owaisi further said, "The father of the child has withdrawn his kid from school and given in writing that he doesn’t want to pursue the matter because he knows he won’t get justice and instead it might vitiate the “atmosphere”. Who are these people who will “vitiate” the atmosphere over a father seeking justice for his kid? It is an indictment of @myogiadityanath’s rule that people have no faith in due process. It is more likely that the teacher will get some govt award rather than being punished."
Owaisi questioned district police, NCPCR and NHRC and said, "Section 75 of Juvenile Justice Act 2015 is clear. Why has @muzafarnagarpol must take action. @NCPCR_ & @India_NHRC are otherwise quick to take suo motu action but here they have done nothing. Reportedly, NCPCR is more concerned about the video getting viral rather than ensuring justice."
"@myogiadityanath what happened to bulldozers and “thok do”?" the tweet further read.
Trinamool leader Sushmita Dev also took to X and said that "hate is the DNA of BJP".
"We condemn the mistreatment of the student, who was targeted and beaten up owing to his religious identity in Muzaffarnagar. At a time when peaceful co-existence and unity in diversity should be taught in schools, BJP-ruled UP attempts to inject the poison of communalism among the children and youth. SHAMEFUL!," Dev said in a video.
TMC MP Saket Gokhale expressed surprise over the sections under which the police filed the FIR in the case. He said that the police have taken cognizance of the crime of the teacher Tripta Tyagi and claimed they’ve filed an “FIR” u/s 505 & 506 IPC.
"Both these sections are “non-cognizable” i.e. police has no power to take ANY action nor to arrest the accused. It’s a simple section of “mischief”. Is a teacher encouraging students to assault a fellow Muslim child a mere “mischief”?" he asked.
"Why are you burying this issue & protecting the teacher, @muzafarnagarpol? Does the teacher have BJP links or have you been ordered by the UP BJP govt to go easy?" Gokhale questioned.
Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP) posted the video on X and blamed the "hateful politics of BJP and RSS" for bringing the "country here".
"In Muzaffarnagar, a teacher is getting a child from a minority community slapped by another child. The teacher who poisons the minds of innocents should be dismissed immediately," the party added.
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal termed the incident "Culture of Hate".
"Tripta Tyagi of Neha Public School asks Hindu students to beat up a Muslim student in the classroom. If true, will Yogi ji speak up ?
Will Modi ji condemn this publicly ? Will the teacher be prosecuted ? Or will the culture of “hate” be allowed to flourish ?," the former Union Minister asked.
Tripta Tyagi Responds To Allegations
Meanwhile, the teacher in the video, who is said to be the principal of Neha Public School, denied the allegations and said the video was fabricated.
"The video that was made viral was edited and cut, I had no such intentions…in our place, Hindus and Muslims stay with unity and we have more Muslim students in our school…there was pressure from the parents of the child to be strict with him," she told ANI.
"I am handicapped I can’t get up…he was not doing homework for last 2 months…so I made 2-3 students beat him up so that he would start doing his work…what I said was 'Muhamdan mothers' must not take their kids to their uncles’ homes as the exam is approaching. But they cut this video and took the 'Muhamdan' word…I had no such intentions..," Tyagi said explaining the entire incident.
"I have made a mistake and I seek apology with folded hands", she added.
No Hindu-Muslim Angle, Teacher Tortured My Child: Boy's Father
The boy's father has also reacted to the entire case. He accused the teacher of 'torturing' his son by making other children beat him. He said that his nephew, who was in school for some work, recorded the video. He also added that there is no Hindi-Muslim angle and people live peacefully in the area.
"My son is seven years old. This incident happened on 24th August. The teacher made the students beat my child again & again. My nephew made the video and had gone to school for some work...My seven-year-old child was tortured for an hour or two. He is scared...This is not a Hindu-Muslim matter. We want the law should take its own course," the father told ANI.