'Khoon se Tilak Karo, Goliyon se Aarti': Doda Admin Suspends Teacher for Imparting ‘Extremist’ Education

Srinagar: A government teacher in the Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir was suspended on Thursday (November 6) for allegedly imparting extremist teachings to young school students. 

The action came after a local activist Raja Shakeel complained to the chief education officer (CEO) of Doda that the students at Government Middle School (GMS) Sichal were allegedly being subjected to “extremist and violent” teachings. 

A video which was posted by Shakeel on social media showed the accused teacher identified as Chander Kumar capturing the morning assembly at the school with his mobile phone while welcoming students to the start of the new academic session.

“Today is November 6 and new classes have started at Government Middle School Sichal. Kids have returned to school and the morning assembly is being conducted. I welcome the students. Jai Hind. Jai Bharat,” Kumar can be heard saying in the 20-second video.

In Kumar’s background, more than three dozen small boys and girls can be seen in the lawns of the school queued up for the morning assembly and reciting the controversial song.

“Khoon se tilak karo, goliyon se aarti (Use blood for tilak and perform aarti with bullets),” the children can be heard chanting as Kumar records the selfie-video. 

Aarti is a Hindu prayer ceremony which involves offering light from a flame to a deity, accompanied by singing devotional hymns. 

The video which went viral on social media prompted public outrage and a complaint to the Doda CEO alleging that the teacher was imparting “extremist and violent teachings” to students while seeking action against him.

“Such conduct is not only unacceptable but also constitutes a serious violation of constitutional and moral principles that guide our education system. These teachings promote violence and hatred instead of peace and knowledge – posing a grave risk to the mental and emotional well-being of innocent students,” Shakeel alleged in his complaint. 

“The children of our government schools deserve guidance, not indoctrination,” the complaint stated while seeking “swift and transparent action” against the teacher “to restore public confidence in the education system”.

In a swift action, the CEO on Thursday set up a three-member committee of the principals of higher secondary schools in Chilli, Jakyas and Chanti of the district to “conduct a thorough investigation and submit a factual report to this office within two days along with specific comments and recommendations”. 

“Further, the salary of Chander Kumar, teacher, GMS Sichal is hereby kept withheld until the completion of the enquiry. This order is issued in the interest of maintaining decorum and safeguarding the welfare of students,” the order said. 

The suspension order has been issued days after the religious leaders of Jammu and Kashmir raised objections against the administration’s directive ordering all the schools of the Union territory to recite the national song during morning assemblies. 

The Wire had first reported about one such order which was issued by the chief education officer of the Doda district last week.  

Following a meeting on Wednesday, the Mutahida Majlis-e-Ulema (MMU), the biggest conglomerate of religious organisations in J&K, urged the lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha and chief minister Omar Abdullah to “immediately withdraw the coercive directive”.

"Singing or reciting Vande Mataram is un-Islamic, as it contains expressions of devotion that contradict the fundamental Islamic belief in the absolute Oneness of Allah (Tawheed). Islam does not permit any act that involves worship or reverence directed to anyone or anything other than the Creator,” the MMU said in a statement. 

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