A video of a teacher allegedly encouraging Hindu students to slap a Muslim student in UP's Muzaffarnagar went viral on Friday, prompting action from the Muzaffarnagar police who has taken cognisance of the incident and launched an investigation.
In the purported video, the teacher Tripta Tyagi, is heard saying, "I have declared jitne bhi Mohammedan bachhe hai...", as students took turns to slap and beat up a Muslim student of the class. "Why are you not hitting him harder," the teacher is heard saying, even as the student wept uncontrollably.
The Muzaffarnagar police has directed the station in-charge of Mansoorpur to investigate the case in the Neha Public School of Khubbapur village of Thanakshetra, wherein "a teacher is encouraging students to beat up a student in the class and making religious remarks," jurisdictional Khatauli Dr Ravi Shankar said.
Fact-checker and co-founder of Altnews, Mohammed Zubair spoke to the father of the Muslim student. "We have come to a middle ground that I will remove my kid from the school and won't file any police complaint," the father said. Upon asking why he didn't want to file a police complaint, the father said, "I didn't want to file a police complaint because I don't want to be called by Police or by court every now and then, I don't want to get into all these...”
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has taken cognisance of the incident, and directed people to not share the video of the child. "Instructions are being issued for action, everyone is requested not to share the video of the child, give information about such incidents by email, do not become a part of the crime by revealing the identity of the children," Priyank Kanoongo, Chairman NCPCR said.
