Kanpur, 1 August: The Florets School in Kanpur has been embroiled in a controversy as kids were allegedly forced to recite the ‘Kalma’ as part of their morning prayers.
Parents and Hindu organizations staged a protest and filed a complaint with the police, who intervened and ordered the school to discontinue the practice.
According to school Principal Sumit Makhija, following the uproar, the management has chosen to only play the national anthem during the morning assembly. Certainly, there is no goal of supporting any one faith, the principal said. It’s been a tradition at this school for many years. The school dairy has verses from all major religions, including Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity, and Islam. Reciting verses began as a habit to show respect for all religions. A bunch of Hindu extremists and some parents have come out against it, she told reporters on Monday. Meanwhile, school officials have stated that they would speak with the worried parents to resolve the situation.
Taking note of the occurrence, Nishank Sharma, ACP, stated that this has been a practice for the last decade. He disclosed that the District Magistrate had also been apprised of the situation. We learned last night via Twitter that Islamic prayers are being held in a private school. We alerted the DM, and we talked with the school administration yesterday. In the morning, four prayers from various religions are taught.
Meanwhile, BJP leader Geeta Nigam voiced major concerns, alleging that the Islamic prayers were being taught to preschool pupils.
