Opposition parties and student associations on Friday criticised an order by the Jammu and Kashmir government directing school principals to send students and teachers to attend a tiranga rally organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad in Poonch district, calling it “unacceptable”.

The ABVP is the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the parent organisation of the Centre’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. A tiranga rally is a procession where a crowd gathers to wave the national flag.

On Wednesday, an order by the additional district magistrate said that permission had been granted to the ABVP to organise the rally the next day to celebrate Republic Day. The permission was sought by Kanav Bali, the Poonch convenor of the organisation.

The order was sent to nine public and private schools. It directed the schools to send 40 to 50 students along with two teachers for the rally.

Several students and teachers participated in the rally on Thursday, The Wire reported.

Following this, the order issued by the additional district magistrate was widely circulated on social media.

In response, J&K Peoples Democratic Party leader Iltija Mufti said on Friday that the National Conference-led government in the Union Territory had made it mandatory for schools to attend the rally organised by the ABVP, an organisation which “normalises anti-Muslim bigotry”.

“Using education as a propaganda tool by forcing students to attend ideological events is unacceptable,” she said on social media.

Peoples Democratic Party MLA Waheed Para claimed that a similar “endorsement” of an ABVP rally by the previous administration was condemned by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah before he won the Assembly elections in October.

“Yet now, this blatant transformation under the government stands as its only so-called ‘achievement’ in the last 100 days,” Para said on social media.

The youth wing of the Peoples Democratic Party asked whether state Education Minister Sakina Itoo had given her approval. “Or is it the modus operandi by the National Conference to first send students to ABVP rallies & then show helplessness?” it asked.

The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association said that the administration’s order was “deeply concerning and unacceptable”, The Hindu reported.

“With the direction that students should join the ABVP in the rally, this has become more an ideological event rather than Republic Day celebrations,” a spokesperson said. “The government has no right to dictate which political or ideological events students should participate in.”

The Gujjar Bakerwal Students Alliance demanded an investigation into the matter.

“How can the CEO [chief electoral office] Poonch and DM [district magistrate] Poonch order government and private schools to participate in the ABVP rally?” it asked on social media. “ABVP is using innocent students, who are unaware of its ideology, for propaganda and politics. It must be investigated under whose direction this permission was granted.”