Delhi: Government school teacher convicted for disparaging remarks  

On Tuesday, August 29, 2023, a case was filed by the Delhi Police against a teacher at a government school for allegedly using disparaging “religious words” towards a select group of children.The incident was reported from a school in the Gandhinagar area of the city.

The official statement

The police were notified of a complaint regarding a teacher at a school using certain derogatory terms related to religion in front of pupils, according to Shahdara’s Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Rohit Meena. “Our Juvenile Welfare officer, along with counselors, are counseling the students. It is a Government school. Legal action will be taken. With true facts, we will register a case with appropriate sections.”

The controversy stems from a viral video that allegedly showed a teacher at a school in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, telling students to alternately slap classmates who belong to minority groups.

#WATCH | DCP Shahdara Rohit Meena says, "We received a complaint about a school teacher using some religious words before students. We have taken cognisance of the matter. Our Juvenile Welfare Officer, along with counsellors, is counselling. Legal action will be taken. There are… pic.twitter.com/SisEN1fZ65

— ANI (@ANI) August 29, 2023

the authorities take action.

After filing a case at the Gandhinagar Police Station under Section 153A and other sections, the police later announced that they had started an inquiry. After children claimed on August 23 that a teacher had used slurs against them in class, the event was reported from a school in the Gandhinagar neighborhood of the city. When the pupils got home, they told their parents about the events, and as a result, the parents filed a police report.

Parent’s remarks

A parent in a conversation with the media “Two of my children study here – one in standard 7 and the other in standard 4. If the teacher goes unpunished, other teachers will get emboldened and they will speak things like “hamare deen ke nahi hain (not from our faith),” “They should be told to just teach and not speak on things about which they have no knowledge…There is no use of a teacher who creates differences among students. We demand that the teacher be removed from the school, she should not teach in any school because she will do the same wherever she goes,”

Police have acted on the matter, and an FIR has been lodged in connection with the alleged incident.