Karnataka school headmistress, parent arrested for "abuse" of PM Modi in drama

Bengaluru, Jan 31: Days after a sedition case was slapped against a school in Karnataka, its headmistress and a student's mother have been arrested for alleged involvement in staging of a drama portraying Prime Minister Narendra Modi in poor light over the CAA and NRC, police said on Friday.

The police action came after they questioned the two women, a few staff members of the Shaheen School in the district headquarters town of Bidar and students on Thursday.

They were produced before a court which remanded them to judicial custody, police said adding further investigation was on. The drama was staged by students of fourth, fifth and sixth standard on January 21.

A sedition case was booked by police on January 26 against the school, along with some other sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on January 26, based on a complaint from social worker Neelesh Rakshyal.

The play uploaded on social media had gone viral. Officials said, the utterances against the Prime Minister were not part of the original script, but the mother of a class six student allegedly incorporated them during the practice and the teacher allowed it to be part of the drama.

The complainant has alleged the school authorities 'used' the students to perform a drama where they "abused" Modi in the context of the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens.

The management tried to create 'fear' among the Muslims that they would have to leave the country if the CAA and NRC were implemented, Rakshyal had charged.