'Hamara School Chalu Karo': Damoh School Faces Demolition After Hijab Poster Row

The school was derecognised over lack of infrastructure after row over a poster of girl students wearing hijab.

(Photo Edited by The Quint)

"Open my school. I want to study here and nowhere else. They are after my school," said a weeping girl, a student of the Ganga Jamna High School in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh in front of the police and the media on Tuesday, 13 June, as she stood near the barricades blocking entry to the school.

The school, derecognised on 2 June pending investigation over allegations of religious conversion and enforcing of hijab on school students, now also faces demolition citing lack of permission to construct some new structures.

A student of the Ganga Jamna High School in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh weeped in front of the police and the media on Tuesday, 13 June.

(Photo: Video screengrab/The Quint)

Following the arrest of the school principal Afsa Sheikh and two others on 11 June, the future of its 1,200 children, most from underprivileged families, is now in jeopardy.

After 'bulldozer action' was initiated on the school on Tuesday, the parents took it upon themselves to protest and demand the reopening of the school.

Arguing with a police officer trying to pacify the protesters, the girl's mother said: "They have made such a big deal of such a small issue that they don't care about the future of the students. Think of the children, their future is at stake. It's been 12 years since the children are studying there, we never heard of anything untoward. The ones accusing of wrongdoings, please bring there before us. We want to know what exactly are they alleging."

Before detailing Tuesday's developments, click here for a quick look at the controversy and its timeline:

• 27 May: Controversy erupted after a poster of students who aced class 10 exams was put up outside the school. The poster showed both Muslim and Hindu girl students wearing a hijab.

• 28 May: The poster went viral on social media.

• 30 May: The district authorities, as per instructions by District Education Officer (DEO) SK Mishra, inspected the school and gave it a clean chit for any alleged 'wrongdoing'.

• 31 May: Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra ordered a probe into the controversy around the poster.

• 1 June: Hindu outfits protested to demand that the district collector (DC) initiate a high-level inquiry.

• 2 June: The DC set up a probe committee and derecognised the school. The same day, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan referred to Urdu poet-philosopher Iqbal, alleged that the school administration was “teaching poetry of a man who talked about the division of the country” and warned that “such acts won’t be allowed in Madhya Pradesh”.

• 3 June: Chouhan ordered for SDM and CSP rank officials to be included in the probe committee.

• 4 June: The state's child protection and welfare committee officials visited the school and confiscated all documents.

• 5 June: Allegations of religious conversion of students picked pace

• 7 June: The police had filed a case and registered an FIR based on the versions of some students against 11 members of the school's management under IPC sections 295 (damaging or defiling any object held as sacred), 506 (criminal intimidation), provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, and the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 2021. The same day, local BJP leaders took to protests and threw ink at DEO SK Mishra.

• 11 June: School principal Afsha Sheikh, a mathematics teacher Anas Atahar, and security guard Rustam Ali were arrested and produced before a local court and sent to judicial custody.

• 11 June: The Chief Municipal Officer (CMO) served a notice to the school over allegedly constructing parts of the school without permission and asked them to produce relevant documents, failing which the building will face action. "The amount of its expenses and penalty will be recovered from you under the Municipal Act, 1961," the CMO told the school.

Bulldozer, Police With Riot Gear at the School on Tuesday

Two days after the notice by the Chief Municipal Officer (CMO) on 11 June asking the school to clarify if permission was taken to build certain structures in the premises, municipal authorities arrived at the site with a bulldozer on Tuesday but were faced with protests by sloganeering students and parents.

The authorities, however, claimed that the bulldozer had arrived in order to clean drains in the vicinity.

Chanting "hamara school chalu karo, chalu karo, chlu karo... (reopen our school)," about 50 people students and parents marched to the school and protested near the barricades on Tuesday evening.

(Photo: Video screengrab/The Quint)

Speaking to the media, a municipal official Bhaiya Lal present at the spot said: "In the morning, the bulldozer had arrived to clean drains in the vicinity. The people thought that the school was being demolished and so they protested. They thought action was being taken without giving the enough time period for the school to respond." he said.

Hours later, however, the authorities arrived with the bulldozer again with massive police force in riot gear and began demolishing parts of the first floor of the school.

Authorities on Tuesday demolished parts of the school.

(Photo: Video screengrab/The Quint)

"They (school management) confessed in their response to the notice that permission was not taken to construct some parts of the school. With the help of the authorities, we are removing only those parts," he said.

"This action is based on preliminary investigation. They are providing us with more records. Once those are investigated, further course of action will be decided. This action has been taken on the basis of the school's response," he said.

'No School is Ready to Admit Our Children...'

Chanting "hamara school chalu karo, chalu karo, chlu karo... (reopen our school)," about 50 people students and parents marched to the school and protested near the barricades again on Tuesday evening.

"We ensure education for our children with our hardwork. Where will the students go all of a sudden? No school is ready to admit them at this point," a protesting parent lamented.

Students and teachers protested near the school premises on Tuesday.

(Photo: Video screengrab/The Quint)

The school was established by the Ganga Jamuna Welfare Society in 2010 and is reportedly the only English-medium school in the Damoh's Futera ward.

"Our school does not teach anything wrong or affiliated to any religion. They teach us what is taught in all other schools," another student said.

Meanwhile, In the Court...

While hearing the bail application of Afsha Sheikh, Anas Atahar, and Rustam Ali, special judge Rajni Prakash Botam in oral observations asked why a case was registered after the school was first given a clean chit by the district collector.

The court also summoned Damoh Collector Mayank Aggarwal and SP Rakesh Singh on Wednesday.

Anunay Shrivastav, the advocate for the accused told the court that after class 6, the uniform of the school included the headscarf for girl students but it was not compulsory and not everybody wore them.

The Ganga Jamna School in Damoh.

(Photo: Video screengrab/The Quint)

While speaking to the media before her arrest, Sheikh had claimed the same, adding that the pictures used in the poster were from their school identity cards for which pictures were clicked wearing a headscarf, but there was no punishment for those who didn't choose to wear it.

The education department, while derecognising the school on 2 June, cited several reasons including lack of a library, necessary equipment to conduct practicals, and lack of proper hygiene.

Shrivastav, however, told the court that the since 2010, the recognition of the school was extended every year following all the necessary inspections by the state's education department.

(With inputs from Aazam Khan).