Kerala : IS Connection: FIR against School

An FIR has been registered against Peace International School, controlled by a group of  well-connected businessmen, for promoting communal disharmony

T Satisan, Kochi

Police have registered FIR against Peace International School, Kochi, for developing and promoting religious disharmony. Police investigation proved that the textbooks taught in the school, controlled by well-connected businessmen, do contain syllabi which are highly objectionable: Here are the examples of some questions in the books: “Will you give your life for Islam?” and “How to treat non-Muslims?” etc. The curriculum does not touch Bharat. Biology does not have any room in the syllabus. Islamic study is the main subject in the classes from Standard I to VIII. Organiser had carried a story on this school titled “School under the scanner” in its issue dated August 14, 2016. Police suspect the school as a camouflage to recruit jihadis to join IS in Syria. Mereena, Isa, Ijaz and Rashid who are reported to have joined IS were either employees of or frequent visitors to this school.
 At present, there are 11 teachers for Islamic study subjects alone, who hail from Bihar. It is reported that police seized strategic maps of Tehran from a school computer. It helped the investigators to trace the link between the missing Keralites and IS. Many missing Keralites travelled to Iran and Afghanistan before joining IS.
Police registered the case on the basis of a report by Ernakulum District Education Office (DEO). The report reads, the lessons in the textbooks are not ‘secular’. The FIR has been submitted before the district magistrate on October 8, 2016. FIR has been registered under Section 153A and 34 of the IPC.
The report says, the words in the textbooks are intelligently coined; one gets any idea of the gravity of the Islamic orthodoxy they preach only if he reads at least 50 to 60 of their books back-to-back. One of the textbooks for Standard II asks how many students would be ready to submit themselves for Islam. The books ask the students if they are willing to give their life for Islam. They also teach the students how to treat non-Muslims. Even though the management claimed that they are  following international syllabus their books were not approved by the state HRD or CBSE! Naturally, police suspect, the curriculum of this school has been set by persons close to Zakir Naik, the controversial Islamic preacher. Police officials are checking more textbooks. There are reports that NIA team investigating the missing Keralites from Kasaragod, Palakkad, Kochi, and Thiruvananthapuram will also examine the school’s involvement in the episode. Six among the 21 missing people have worked in Peace school.
BJP national executive member PK Krishnadas demanded stringent legal actions against the school immediately. No doubt, 153A and 34 of IPC are not enough. Activities of this school should be viewed as of anti-national and terrorist nature. Its sources of funds and leadership should be brought before the law.  Since children constitute a significant part of this case, it should be registered under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015. There were complaints about this school since 2010. But, actions were not taken. There are reports that school authorities got a court order against actions in this regard. There are reports that the government lawyer did not contest the case properly. Krishnadas alleged that so far the principal or directors are not interrogated by the police. Neither erstwhile UDF regime nor current LDF regime has taken any serious action against this school despite the complaints arose during the rule of both.  
Reportedly, the school has applied for the CBSE affiliation; if it is true, they might have attained the state government’s NOC without which CBSE would not accept the application for scrutiny. Now, the question is which government gave them NOC, UDF or LDF? The school management has tried to get a membership of the Kerala CBSE School Management Association, but in vain, thanks to some sort of suspicion the Association leaders had in mind. NIA alone can expose this case. LDF regime should initiate to pass a unanimous resolution for this. There are 12 more schools under the same management that are under scanner after this incidents.