Mumbai: Following a two-week-long vitriolic campaign by the Hindutva propaganda website OpIndia, a Mumbai-based private school sacked its principal. The school principal, Parveen Shaikh, who had worked with the Somaiya School in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area for close to 12 years, was bullied and trolled on social media by OpIndia head Nupur J. Sharma for her political views which were termed “anti-government” and “critical” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
An OpIndia article, published on April 24, detailed Shaikh’s social media activities, the social media pages she follows, and the tweets (now called posts on X) she had liked. The article was presented as an “exposé” about Shaikh’s “disturbing social media behaviour”. Among other things, Shaikh was accused of being a “Hamas sympathiser” and a supporter of “Islamist Umar Khalid”. All of this was deduced from Shaikh’s social media activities.
Shaikh, a renowned teacher, was unaware of the hate campaign launched against her online until she was served with a notice by the school management. On April 26, the school asked her to resign from her job. Shaikh, who has maintained that she has done no wrong and was unfairly targeted, refused to resign and continued her work.
On May 7, she was served with a termination letter. Somaiya School, in a media statement, claimed: “It has come to our attention that the personal social media activities of Ms. Parveen Shaikh, who holds a leadership position at The Somaiya School, have been starkly misaligned with the values we cherish.”
‘Was shocked to know’
Even before the termination letter was handed over to her, the news of her sacking was already making rounds on the right-wing online ecosystem, including that of Sharma’s social media handle. “I was shocked to know the news of my termination from social media even before receiving a termination notice from the management. The termination notice is completely illegal and based on defamatory lies peddled against me by OpIndia and Nupur J. Sharma. My work as a school principal has been exceptional and my termination for such reason is wrongful and unjust,” Shaikh told The Wire.
It is important to note that the school administration did not give Shaikh a fair chance to defend herself. But in the media statement it claims to support “freedom of expression”. None of Shaikh’s social media posts advocate violence or is inconsistent with Indian law. They could, at best, be seen as critical of the current dispensation and against the hateful atmosphere prevalent in India.
In the statement, the Somaiya management, without getting into the details of what it considers objectionable in Shaikh’s online conduct, claims, “We strongly support the right to freedom of expression, yet we recognise that it is not absolute and must be exercised with responsibility and respect for others”.
Shaikh expressed her disappointment that despite her “hard work, dedication, and sincere contribution to the school’s growth over 12 years,” the management chose not to stand by her “in the face of this vitriolic public vilification campaign” against her. “Instead, they fell prey to it and took this drastic and unwarranted action,” she said. Shaikh, who is currently considering legal options, stated: “This action appears to be politically motivated. I have firm belief in our legal system and the Indian constitution.”
‘India supports Palestinian cause’
Sharma and other right-wing supporters have been trolling Shaikh for her pro-Palestine stance on social media. Soon after the OpIndia article was published, Shaikh, in response to a question by The Wire, pointed out that, “India has, from the very beginning, been always a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause. My views are no different. As for the article and the OpIndia portal itself, they seem to have a bias against our secular constitutional ethos, as well as the Palestinian cause. Its followers, who have trolled me, would reflect the same bias.”
Shaikh, not very active on social media, has liked a few posts in support of Gaza, that have been besieged by Israeli army since October last year.
Although the school easily succumbed to the right-wing pressure and sacked Shaikh, parents and students studying at Somaiya have come out in her support. Alongside the online smear campaign, many have taken to social media to express their solidarity for Shaikh and the unfair treatment meted out to her.
Once MVA comes to power in 2024 October in Maharashtra, Somaiya School will face consequences on this.
I have spoken to Parveen Sheikh & have requested the Somaiya Management to stay away from the political trap of taking sides than to maintain neutrality.
Seems like they have… pic.twitter.com/Xqsp3EF9kC
Advertisement— मॅथ्यू अँटनी|Mathew Antony|മാത്യു ആന്റണി (@mathewmantony) May 7, 2024
