Babri enactment in RSS leader's school stirs row

Video footage of the enactment of the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition, by students of classes 11 and 12 in an RSS leader’s school, has gone viral on social media, drawing sharp criticism from netizens. 

This was one among the 20 programmes presented by students during their annual sports day at Sri Rama Vidyakendra School at Kalladka in Bantwal taluk of Dakshina Kannada district on Sunday.

The school is run by RSS Dakshina Madhya Kshetriya Karyavaha Dr Prabhakar Bhat.

Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi, district incharge Minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, Minister for Women and Child Development Shashikala Jolle and DGP Mohan Prasad among other dignitaries were present.

The students are shown holding saffron flags, chanting slogans hailing Ram, Sita, Hanuman and rushing towards a flex depicting the Babri Masjid demolition act.

SDPI (Social Democratic Party of India) president Iliyas Mohammed Thumbe told DH that Dr Bhat, by enacting a communally charged play which goes against the Supreme Court’s observations on the demolition, had sown the seeds of hatred and violence in young minds.

“We will stage a protest against the enactment of the demolition in Mangaluru on Tuesday. SDPI will explore legal action against the school,” he said. 

School principal Ballal, management committee chairman Satish Bhat Shivagiri refused to respond to queries by DH. Prabhakar Bhat justified the enactment of the demolition by the students.

He said, “students just enacted the events that led to the pronouncement of the Ayodhya verdict by the apex court.”

“It was an attempt to remind the proud moment of Indians,” Bhat said. On netizens criticising the act, he said the programme had not tried to create any religious discord. Students also enacted the Chandrayaan-2 mission, he said.

“The students had neither raised any slogan hurting the sentiments of Muslims nor abused the community,” he said. Bantwal Block Education Officer (BEO) Jnanesh said he had not received any complaint.

`Will watch & react’

Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar said that he had not yet seen the video. “I will watch it and verify the authenticity before reacting,” he said.

Acting on a complaint by Popular Front of India, the Bantwal town police have filed a case against the management of the school.