Teacher, student’s mother held for sedition over anti-CAA school play

BENGALURU:Karnataka police late on Thursday arrested the headmistress of a school and the mother of one of the students for allegedly tutoring the girl student (who is in class VI) to make derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a school play against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

The action came days after the management of Shaheen School in Karnataka’s Bidar was booked for sedition and promoting enmity between religious groups.

The anti-CAA play was staged on January 21 by students of classes 4, 5, and 6, as a part of the school’s annual day celebrations. A video of the play went viral.

The police booked the school management on January 26 on the basis of a complaint filed by a person named Neelesh Rakshyala.

While the school management said that the student inadvertently used the objectionable phrase and they had no role in it, the police on Thursday arrested the headmistress, Farida Begaum, and the girl’s mother, Navida Anuja Minsa.

A police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was clear that the student was “tutored” to say what she did. He added that the headmistress and the student’s mother have been arrested under IPC section 124A (sedition) and 504 (promoting enmity between communities).

Shaheen Group CEO Thouseef Madikeri said: “It is unfortunate that the police have decided to arrest the headmistress and the parent of a child. This is to mentally harass them as they cannot arrest a child. Both the arrested are currently in jail. We have every intention to contest this legally as we have done no wrong.” He said the school authorities will co-operate with the investigation.

Media reports said lawyers have not been able to bail out the arrested women because the district court judge is on leave till early next week.