Tamil Nadu: Government School Teacher Suspended for Preaching Religion

"She told us to read the Bible. We said that we are Hindus; We read Bhagavad Gita," a girl student said.

A government school teacher in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu was suspended for preaching religion during school hours and making objectionable remarks about the Hindu religion to her students.

Representational Image. 

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)

A government school teacher in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu was suspended for preaching religion during school hours and making objectionable remarks about the Hindu religion to her students.

In a video that has gone viral on social media, a 6th-grade girl student alleged that the teacher had attempted to preach religion and asked the students to recite Christian prayers.

"She told us to read the Bible. We said that we are Hindus; We read Bhagavad Gita. But she said that Bhagavad Gita is evil and that the Bible had good things, so we should read the Bible," the girl said.

The District Educational Office (DEO) made the initial enquiry that led to the teacher's suspension.

Background

The matter came to light after some of the students who had attended the class reported the incident to their parents. The parents then filed complaints with the school authorities and the local police.

Subsequently, an inquiry was conducted before the teachers and the students, where the students narrated their experiences.

"Soon after the complaint was reported, the Chief Education Officer and the district administration conducted a preliminary inquiry and recommended disciplinary action against the teacher," said a school department official, according to The Indian Express.

The Kanyakumari district collector M Aravind's office said the teacher had been suspended from service. "An inquiry commission has been constituted for a detailed inquiry," the collector's office said.

Later on Thursday, Anbil Mahesh, Tamil Nadu Education Minister, confirmed the same and said, "We have suspended the teacher but (are) awaiting a detailed inquiry (report) on what exactly happened."

(With inputs from The Indian Express.)