Karnataka police arrest headmistress, parent for anti-CAA play by kids

Written by Ralph Alex Arakal | Published: January 31, 2020 4:28:39 pm

The parent was arrested as it was found that she gave her chappals to her daughter to be used while delivering the controversial dialogue

Four days after the management of a school in Karnataka’s Bidar was booked in a case of sedition and breach of peace based on a complaint alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image was tarnished in a play staged by children against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the headmistress, and a parent was arrested on Thursday.

Confirming this, Bidar Superintendent of Police (SP) Sreedhara T said, “the accused – Fareeda Begum, the in-charge headmistress of Shaheen School and Anuja Minsa, mother of the student who delivered the dialogue which mentioned slapping the PM were arrested based on evidence collected by the police based on the case filed on January 26.”

He added that an initial probe indicated that the headmistress played a crucial role in organising the “controversial” play as she knew and approved the script that contained controversial dialogues against the PM and other leaders.

Meanwhile, the parent was arrested as it was found that she gave her chappals to her daughter to be used while delivering the controversial dialogue, according to the police.

“The accused were arrested and sent to judicial custody after being produced before the court. Further inquiry and investigation are underway under sedition (IPC Section 124A) and breach of peace (IPC 504) charges among others,” SP Sreedhara added.

The complaint was filed in Bidar New Town police station by Neelesh Rakshyal, a social activist alleged that the students were made to enact a play promoting the premise that Muslims would be forced to leave India if the CAA is implemented along with the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC).

In the complaint filed on January 26, Rakshyal saw a video of the play on social media in which students were allegedly used to promote an “anti-national” act and enact a scene that involved hitting a picture of the Prime Minister to depict opposition to the CAA.

“The play…was posted on social media with the intention of promoting enmity between communities. The director and management of the Shaheen School have committed an act that is anti-national in nature by using the students,” the complaint alleged.

It also claimed that the video clip was posted on the Facebook account of Mohammed Yousuf Raheem, a journalist in Bidar, on January 21.

On the other side, the school management had earlier alleged the students, teachers, and parents were “mentally harassed” by the police in the wake of conducting an inquiry based on the sedition complaint.

A picture of the students being questioned by the police had also gone viral on social media with several activists condemning the act.

“Are we living in Hitler era,” a user wrote on Twitter attaching the photograph.

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