The student of Shaheen Education Institute in Karnataka’s Bidar, whose mother was arrested following the sedition charges filed against the school authorities for staging a play against the Citizenship Amendment Act and National, recently spoke about what actually happened at the school.
The 11-year-old’s, “I answered all their (police) questions but my mother was still arrested. I don’t know when she will be back.” She has been living with their neighbour ever since. Her mother, who is a widow have no close family members that stay in Bidar.
She further said, “We were asked about how we practised, and I replied that we didn’t need to practise much since we just had to remember points. Then the police asked us whether hitting the Prime Minister with a chappal is right or wrong? We replied that it was wrong. Finally, I was asked if I would repeat what I said in the play, and I said no. But even though I truthfully answered their questions, my mother was arrested.”
Police officials led by Basaveshwara Hira, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Bidar, have turned up at the school about four times to question the students involved in the play.
Tauseef Madikeri, the CEO of the school said, “Nazbunnisa already apologised on a television channel for that particular line in the play. But the police are continuously turning up at the school and are keeping students out of the classroom for hours. This is beyond the imagination of any reasonable person.”
He also said that the police are repeatedly asking the same questions to the staff and students at the school like “Who scripted the play? Who told you to say these dialogues? Did a teacher teach this?”
He added, “This is mental harassment of the students who are 9 or 10 years old and also of the parents. Some students who took part in the play have not turned up at school because of this. Is this because we are a minority institution?.”
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Source: The News Minute
Posted in News, States