A shocking incident unfolded in Khabbarpur village of Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district as a video depicting a schoolteacher purportedly encouraging her students to physically assault a fellow Muslim student has gone viral on social media. The incident has ignited outrage and prompted a police investigation, along with swift intervention from the Department of Basic Education. In the widely circulated video, the teacher can be heard saying, she  instructs her pupils, one by one, to take turns hitting the Muslim student. The footage captures the distressing sight of students complying with the teacher’s demands, subjecting their fellow classmate to a series of slaps.

The situation escalated as the teacher urged the students to “hit him harder,” and in a particularly alarming moment, instructed one of them to “hit him on his waist” after he had already struck the Muslim student. Upon learning of this disturbing incident through social media channels, local law enforcement swiftly initiated an inquiry. The Superintendent of Mansurpur Police, Satyanarayan Prajapat, stated, “In the video, a woman teacher asked other students to beat their classmate because the boy had not memorized the maths table. Some objectionable comments can also be heard in the video. The police investigated the video and spoke to the school’s principal.”

He further disclosed, “It has been learnt that the woman teacher said that mothers of Muslim students who don’t pay attention to their children’s studies end up ruining them.” As a result, the education department has been alerted about the incident, and appropriate actions are expected to be taken against the teacher. The victim’s father, in an attempt to resolve the matter amicably, had initially withdrawn his son from the school and reached an agreement with school authorities, entailing a refund of admission fees. However, the video’s widespread circulation has prompted a more comprehensive investigation into the incident.

Shubham Shukla, an official from the Department of Basic Education, confirmed that a dedicated team has been formed to thoroughly investigate both the teacher’s conduct and the school’s management, aiming to ensure the safety and well-being of all students.

 
Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)