Indian teacher inviting students to slap Muslim kid sparks outrage.

• Burhan Hasnain 25020257
• Nov 25, 2023
• 3 min read

Link: https://youtube.com/shorts/YL26OV5aUGs?si=8U7w1OgCGjnd5JWt

In a disturbing incident that has sent shockwaves across the globe, a video has surfaced on social media revealing the degrading treatment of a seven-year-old Muslim student for not doing his homework by his own teacher in Uttar Pradesh, India. The incident, which occurred at Neha Public School in Kubbapur village, has ignited a fierce debate on the intrusion of religious differences into the educational system. The video captures Trapta Tyagi, a primary school teacher, instructing the beating of a Muslim student based on his religion. Shockingly, Tyagi goes further, urging the boy’s classmates to slap him harder. A male voice could be heard in the background agreeing with the teacher. “I have declared that all Muslim children should go,” Tyagi is heard saying in the video. “You are correct, it ruins the education,” the male is heard saying as the victim stands in front of the class, wailing and traumatized and in tears.

My questions at hand are “Given the teacher addresses the victimized student as close to her as her son and claims to use this strategy with other students as well to instigate fear amongst students to push them to complete their work on time, is the issue being magnified because of the difference in religion? Did this incident even occur because of the seven-year-olds lack of responsibility or was this just an excuse to execute religious hate towards Muslims?” Let’s keep in mind, violent methods, be it as small as hitting students with rulers or teachers slapping students in front of the classroom, still exist in many government schools in Pakistan as well. Should issues such as these also be addressed on a global level like CNN did for the former incident?

Following a police complaint by the boy’s family, Tripta Tyagi faces a case of voluntarily causing hurt and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace. However, both offences are bailable and do not lead to immediate arrest. Furthermore, after receiving much criticism, Tripta Tyagi has put out a video message, stressing that she had no communal motive behind asking students to slap their Muslim classmate. With folded hands, she claimed “I made a mistake, but there was no Hindu-Muslim motive. The children had not done their homework and my intention was to ensure that they memorise (the lessons).”

The boy’s father claimed to have said “he was very upset after the incident and could not eat for a couple of days. He had also started rambling at home after the traumatic experience.” Hence, unrealising the permanent mark that the teacher has left on her student, is this apology acceptable? Would an incident of this extent still occur if the boy belonged to a different religion?

Asaduddin Owaisi, leader of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, said “The father of the Muslim boy is withdrawing his son from the school instead of filing a complaint because he knows he will not get justice” (Topchi 2023). In my opinion this perspective underscores a concerning pattern where many similar incidents remain unreported. While acknowledging the existing political and religious biases within nations, it is crucial to recognize that in a world where social media disseminates content to millions, addressing such situations necessitates simultaneous action at both local and global levels through these platforms.

This leads me to my final question: Would the boy’s family have pressed charges if this video did not go viral and if it weren’t for the support they received by external groups?