Allahabad school principal resigns after ban on national anthem ahead of Independence Day
Reports said that eight teachers at the institution also quit.
The principal and eight teachers at a private school in Allahabad quit their jobs after an order banned playing the national anthem, Vande Mataram and Saraswati Vandana on Independence Day. The Hindustan Times reported that the principal and the eight teachers had not put their protest in writing, but did tell the newspaper that they would not be coming to school because the decision was "unjust."
The manager of MA Convent school, Mohammad Zia-ul Haq, told The Indian Express that the order was passed after some parents objected to their children singing songs “against their religion”. The school reportedly has around 200 Hindu students and 150 Muslim students.
The manager also said the line “Bharata bhagya vidata” was against Islam because because Allah “is our bhagya vidata”. “In the national anthem, the country has been described as being bigger and more important than ‘mazhab’ (religion) and ‘khuda’ (god) which would be unacceptable to any true Muslim,” The Indian Express quoted him as saying.
Reports also said that he banned other slogans including 'Bharat Mata ki jai' and that the order was not made in writing. Haq claims that the teachers and principal left their job, not because of this but as a result of "other issues with management." The principal and eight teachers stopped going to work on Saturday.