A Muslim teacher in Bihar’s Katihar district was thrashed by locals after he refused to say ‘Vande Mataram’ following the flag-hoisting ceremony on Republic Day. The video of locals beating the primary school teacher, identified as Afzal Hussain, has gone viral.
Image source: ANI
A Muslim teacher in Bihar’s Katihar district was beaten up by locals after he refused to say ‘Vande Mataram’ following the flag-hoisting ceremony on Republic Day on January 26.
The video of local residents thrashing the primary school teacher, identified as Afzal Hussain, has gone viral.
Hussain later said he did not say ‘Vande Mataram’ as the same is against his religious belief.
As per a report by ANI, he said, “We believe in Allah and Vande Mataram is against our belief. The term means
“Nowhere in the Constitution is it written that saying Vande Mataram is necessary. I could have lost my life,” he said.
Bihar Education Minister KN Prasad Verma said, “Action will be taken if an incident of this sort has occurred. National song’s insult is not forgivable at all”.
District education officer Dinesh Chandra Dev told reporters 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,” he said.
Vande Mataram, India’s national song, has sparked controversies in the past as well amongst many Muslim communities saying the song in Sanskrit is a hymn to the Hindu goddess Durga and it is against the belief of Islam to sing it.
The national song ‘Vande Matram’ was written by the Bengali poet Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in 1876.
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