NCPCR asks schools not to punish students for wearing Tilak, Rakhi and Mehendi following Raksha Bandhan

In what is considered a step towards a tolerant society, the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), issued notices to the school asking them to refrain from punishing students for wearing Rakhi, mehendi, and Tilak after Raksha Bandhan.

The move has been accepted with open hearts by the Hindus and the NCPCR and chief Priyank Kanoongo is being applauded for the same.

Here is what the circular say?

In a note addressed to the Principal Secretaries of School Education Departments in all states and union territories, the NCPCR pointed out that students face corporal punishment for wearing Rakhi, mehendi, and Tilak following Raksha Bandhan.

The letter stated that, the commission receives a lot of reports and complaints where students have shared how they face punishments for wearing all of this after the Hindu festival.

“It has been noticed that schools do not allow children to wear rakhi or tilak or mehendi in schools during the festival of Raksha Bandhan and subject them to harassment, both physical and mental. It may be noted that corporal punishment is prohibited in schools under Section 17 of the RTE Act, 2009,” the NCPCR said.

The commission taking cognizance of these cases has directed the school body to refrain from punishing students based on these grounds.

“Therefore, it is requested to issue necessary directions to the concerned authorities and ensure that schools do not observe any such practice that may expose children to corporal punishment or discrimination,” said the top child rights body.

Cases where schools have barred students from wearing Kalawa, Tilak and others

Earlier this week, a class 10 student was thrashed by his teacher Farooq Ahmed for writing Jai Shri Ram on the blackboard in Jammu & Kashmir’s Kathua. We at Organiser have compiled a list of 15 such cases reported across the country where students have faced punishments, suspensions and threats for wearing Tilak, Kalawa or Bindi in school. In some instances, the students have even died.

• In Jammu & Kashmir, a minor Hindu boy was thrashed for writing Jai Shri Ram slogan on the blackboard. Later, the local Hindus protested and then the teacher identified as Farooq Ahmed was arrested by the police.
• In Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district, a minor Hindu girl identified as Usha Kumari committed suicide after the teachers at St Xavier’s school beat her up for wearing Bindi in school.
• In Jharkhan’s Bokaro district a minor Hindu boy, studying in the Carmel Convent school was thrashed for wearing Kalawa in the school. It was only after the local Hindus protested that the incident came to light.
• In Jharkhand’s Bokaro district principal of a school Alisha Manjuni suspended whole class for chanting Jai Shri Ram slogans in the school.
• A  Hindu student was beaten up by Muslim classmates for putting Tilak on his forehead in the Alwar district of Rajasthan. The incident occurred in a government-run school.
• A  school teacher from Tamil Nadu named Udaya Lakshmi shared a Facebook post (now deleted) wherein she boasted about forcefully removing the sacred thread (Kalawas) from the wrists of Hindu students.
• Two instructors physically attacked a Hindu student on August 26 at the Ujra Government School in the Chhatarpur region of Madhya Pradesh because the student was sporting a kada (sacred bracelet).
• A Hindu student was harassed by his class teacher for writing the sacred chant of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ on the blackboard at a community school in the Ujjain district of Madhya Pradesh.
• In Betul district of Madhya Pradesh, a government teacher removed Kalawa from the hands of Hindu students, saying they must not visit the temple and should not offer prayers. He justified this act by saying that he promotes equal education without any religious bias.

There are so many cases like these mentioned above, read the compilation in this report by Organiser.