School students in J&K 'stopped' from singing national anthem

Bhadarwah(JK), Aug 19: Some students of a government school here have held a protest against school authorities for allegedly stopping them from singing national anthem in the morning assembly, prompting district authorities to launch a probe.

However, school principal has trashed the allegations and apprehended "communal" politics behind the instigation of the students.

Some students of higher secondary school at Bhagwah in Bhaderwah belt of Doda district held demonstrations in front of the office of Deputy Commissioner Doda alleging that the school principal and a teacher stopped them from singing national anthem after morning prayers yesterday.

After the protests, Doda Deputy Commissioner Bhupinder Kumar ordered a probe and constituted a team of senior officers from district administration. Kumar assured strict action against the guilty teachers after proper inquiry into the incident.

"Nobody could stop the students from singing the national anthem in the school. One officer will remain present in the morning assembly prayers," he said.

"A three-member inquiry committee, headed by Assistant Commissioner (Revenue), Vaibhav Kohli, has been formed and it will submit its report within a week," the DC said.

However, the principal in-charge denied the allegations and said that the issue was being blown out-of-proportion and apprehended "communal" politics behind instigation of the students.

"I did not issue any such diktat and never stopped any student from singing national anthem. I only asked some students not to force their fellow students into reciting the national anthem," said the principal of the school adding, "I am unable to understand who is behind all this and why the issue is being given so much hype."

PTI