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A private school in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla on Monday cancelled plans for an Eid celebration among students after threats from a Hindutva group, The Indian Express reported.
The Auckland House School had asked students to wear kurta-pajamas and caps, and to bring a roti roll with paneer, sevaiyan and dry fruits for Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations on March 28, the last Friday of Ramzan before the Muslim festival, PTI reported.
The Dev Bhoomi Sangharsh Samiti, a Hindutva group, said it would “gherao” the school and threatened legal action if the celebrations were not cancelled. Members of the group alleged that there was an “unfortunate” attempt to promote Islam in Himachal Pradesh.
School authorities cancelled the proposed celebrations stating that the “safety and well-being of our children is our highest priority”.
“The planned Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations for classes nursery to 2 was a part of their efforts to help young students appreciate India’s cultural diversity – just as we celebrate Holi, Diwali and Christmas,” the school said in a communique to parents. “It was intended purely as a cultural learning experience, with no religious rituals and enforcement and participation was entirely voluntary.”
In a separate statement, the school condemned the fact that “certain individuals have posted false, misleading and communally inflammatory messages regarding our institution on social media platforms,” The Times of India reported.
The school authorities clarified that participation in the celebration was “always voluntary” and that there was “no religious ritual or instruction involved”.
The state’s Education Minister Rohit Thakur said the matter would be investigated.
“The issue is being exaggerated only to provoke communal sentiments,” Thakur was quoted as saying by ANI. “The matter will be investigated. However the message from the school administration was issued solely with the intent of maintaining communal harmony.”
He pointed out that details of the matter need to be verified and highlighted that the school was a “reputed convent institution”.
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