In Kerala, where classroom lessons often mirror the state’s complex political undercurrents, students of Kumbala Government Higher Secondary School (KGHSS) on October 6 re-staged a pro-Palestine mime show that had been stopped midway by teachers last week.
The mime was performed by six students dressed in black as part of the school’s youth festival. This time the participants did not raise the Palestinian flag or chant slogans, as per guidelines. However, some members of the audience were reportedly heard shouting pro-Palestine slogans.
The performance had first drawn controversy on October 4, when teachers halted it midway after suspecting an extremist undertone in the act. A preliminary report submitted by the Deputy Director of Education (DDE) later backed the teachers, asserting that they had not erred in stopping the performance. The report clarified that there was no deliberate intervention or bias in their action.
Despite this, Kerala Education Minister and senior CPM leader V. Sivankutty announced that the students would be given another opportunity to stage the same mime. The Minister, who had earlier ordered a detailed inquiry, made the decision after protests by the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) — the student wings of the opposition Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) and the ruling CPM respectively.
Defending his decision, Sivankutty stated, “Kerala has always taken a position against the genocide of Palestinians by Israel, and the state stands with Palestinian children who are being hunted down.”
The incident has once again raised concerns about the politicisation of educational spaces in Kerala, with critics questioning whether student platforms are being used to propagate ideological narratives under the guise of art and expression.
Reports from Organiser have repeatedly pointed out that both the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) have been competing to extend support to Palestine in general and Hamas in particular through various public programmes over the past few years.
While several such pro-Hamas events have taken place across Kerala, the LDF government has so far refrained from taking any legal action. The BJP and other Hindu organisations remain the only groups to have consistently protested against this trend. Observers see this as yet another example of the state’s vote-bank politics overshadowing national interest.
Similarly, in Telangana, schoolchildren in Khammam town were seen enacting a pro-Palestine mime during a street rally jointly organised by Communist and Muslim groups, drawing criticism for involving minors in politically charged demonstrations. The event, held in August despite the Bombay High Court’s observations on Communist groups focusing on the Gaza–Israel conflict rather than national issues, has now come under scrutiny. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken cognisance of the incident and issued notices to the Khammam District Collector and Superintendent of Police seeking an explanation.
Across India, several Muslim organisations, under the banner of “Palestine Solidarity,” are carrying out various activities such as calling for boycotts of American and Israeli products and organising rallies in towns and cities. Using existing Islamic religious networks and ecosystems, they are pushing an anti-Israel narrative linked to developments in Gaza. While most schoolteachers and students have little understanding of global geopolitics, these organisers appear intent on leaving a lasting impression on young minds by promoting a narrative of perpetual victimhood.
Observers argue that children learn quickly and trust their teachers, shaping their thoughts accordingly. However, taking this as an advantage, certain forces radical Islamic forces allegedly attempt to influence young minds, directing them to act as per a pre-set narrative, often without the students understanding the implications.
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