- By Imran Zafar
- Wed, 27 Nov 2024 05:29 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
A government-run school, Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya (SBV) in Delhi’s Nand Nagri, faces serious allegations of discrimination and abuse after several Muslim and Dalit students accused two teachers of harassment, including physical abuse and religious coercion. The accusations include stripping Muslim students, forcing them to chant "Jai Shree Ram," and threatening to circulate their nude videos.
According to a report by The Wire, lawyer and education activist Ashok Agarwal brought these allegations to light in a letter dated November 13, addressed to Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, Delhi’s lieutenant governor and the director of education. Ashok Agarwal’s letter outlines the students' claims of being physically assaulted, forced to strip in bathrooms and incited to commit suicide by two teachers, PGT Political Science Adarsh Sharma and Vikash Kumar, a physical education teacher.
''PGT Pol Science teacher Mr. Adarsh Sharma and PTI teacher Mr. Vikash Kumar are continuously harassing Muslim community students, forcing them to say Jai Shree Ram, beating them without clothes in bathroom and also provoking them to commit suicide,'' Agarwal’s letter read as quoted by The Wire.
The letter, based on a detailed complaint filed by students on November 6, underscores the students’ fear of retaliation, prompting them to remain anonymous. The complaint claims systemic harassment, including threats to make compromising videos of students go viral. It also notes that Muslim and Dalit students were routinely made to sit at the back of classrooms, while dominant caste students were seated in front, perpetuating a sense of exclusion, the report stated.
Further, the students alleged that their attempts to report the harassment in 2023 were ignored by school authorities, who coerced them into retracting their statements. One of the accused teachers allegedly claimed immunity from disciplinary action due to his influence within the teachers’ union, further discouraging the victims from speaking out.
The complainant called for an independent inquiry by senior education officials, stating the failure of previous complaints to produce results. An anonymous member of the school’s management committee expressed concern over the vulnerable students, many of whom come from economically vulnerable families and cannot afford to transfer to private schools.
''Kindly take action against Adarsh Sharma ji and Vikas Kumar and others. Departmental action should be taken and police case should be filed after removing them from the school so that students don’t face discrimination at any school,'' reads the letter as quoted by Clarion India.
However, neither the Delhi Chief Minister’s Office nor the Lieutenant Governor’s Office has responded to the letter. The Delhi Education Department and police have also yet to address the allegations made by the students and education activist Ashok Agarwal at the time of publishing this report.