Nishant Saxena
A principal was suspended after a video showing school children reciting a “religious prayer” went viral, in Bareilly. The Uttar Pradesh education department has suspended the school principal, Nahid Siddiqui and a shiksha mitra, in Bareilly after a video of the students singing poet Allama Iqbal’s ‘Lab pe aati hai dua ban ke Tamanna meri’ as the morning prayer, went viral online.
In the video, the students can be heard singing the lines “mere Allah burai se bachaana mujhko”. Taking offence at this, the local unit of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) reportedly complained to the education department against the school, citing religious sentiments being hurt in the “Hindu-majority school”. The group even alleged that preparations were made to convert the students of the school. In response, the state’s education department acted swiftly and suspended the principal, Nahid Siddiqui, and Vajruddin, a shiksha mitra (contract teacher).
An FIR was filed against them for allegedly hurting religious sentiments and spoiling the school’s atmosphere. The duo has been booked under Sections 298 & 153 of the Indian Penal Code. A probe committee has also been formed to investigate the incident.
2 teachers in UP’s Bareilly booked — for ‘causing riot’ — and suspended after video of school children singing a song from their Urdu syllabus goes viral.
Objectionable part is: Mere Allah burai se bachana mujhko (O Allah! protect me from the evil ways) pic.twitter.com/xBePwhS1q4— Kanwardeep singh (@KanwardeepsTOI) December 22, 2022
Iqbal’s Bachche ki Dua:
Lap pe aati hai dua ban ke tamanna meri
My heart’s desire comes to my lips as a prayer
Zindgi shama ki surat ho Khudaya meri
God, make my life as one of a candle, a guiding light,
Door duniya ka mere dam se andhera hojaye
My presence would destroy the darkness of this world,
Har jagah mere chamakne se ujala hojaye
And my burning light would illuminate all space
Ho mere dum se yohe mere watan ki zeenat
My actions would be for my country, beautiful and admired
Jistara phool se hoti hai chaman ki zeenat
Just as a flower adds to the beauty of a garden
Zindigi ho meri parwaane ki soorat ya rab
My life would be like that of a moth that loves light and flies into it,
Ilm ki shama se ho mujko mohabat ya rab
O Lord! Such would be my love for Knowledge, O Lord!
Ho mera kaam ghareebon ki himayat karna
I would work not but to help the poor
Dardmandon se, Zaeefon se muhabbat karna
And to fill the lives of the lost and old with love
Mere Allah! Buraee se bachana mujhko
O God, save me from the evil and wrong
Naik jo raah ho us rah pe chalana mujhko
And keep me on the path that is straight and righteous.
The Indian Penal Code
Section 298: Uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person.—Whoever, with the deliberate intention of wounding the religious feelings of any person, utters any word or makes any sound in the hearing of that person or makes any gesture in the sight of that person or places, any object in the sight of that person, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both.
Section 153: Whoever malignantly, or wantonly by doing anything which is illegal, gives provocation to any person intending or knowing it to be likely that such provocation will cause the offence of rioting to be committed, shall, if the offence of rioting be committed in consequence of such provocation, be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both; and if the offence of rioting be not committed, with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, or with both.
