According to some reports, a Muslim teacher in a Bihar school was thrashed brutally by the locals as he had refused to sing ‘Vande Mataram’ on the occasion of Republic Day.
Apparently a video of the incident went viral on social media where the Muslim teacher, identified as Afzal Hussain, could be seen allegedly thrashed by some local residents after a scuffle broke out over the former’s refusal to sing Vande Mataram at a primary school in Abdullahpur in Bihar’s Katihar district.
After the video became viral on the social media, Hussain stated that, “We believe in Allah and Vande Mataram is against our belief. The term means Vandana of Bharat Mata which is not what we believe in. Nowhere in the Constitution is it written that saying Vande Mataram is necessary. I could have lost my life.”
Asper the reports, locals and others in the school allegedly pushed and hit him when he refused to sing Vande Mataram after flag hoisting. Afzal Hussain alleged that he could have “lost his life” after he was attacked.
Responding to the reports of the incident, District Education Officer Dinesh Chandra Dev told the media that he has not received any complaint regarding the incident. “Had we got any such information, an investigation would have been done. But till now we have not got any such complaint,” said Dev.
