Lucknow, October 16: The headmaster of a government primary school in Bisalpur area of Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit district was suspended on Tuesday by the administration. The district administration suspended the headmaster -- Mohammad Furkan Ali -- after it received a complaint by local VHP workers that Ali made students recite a religious prayer during morning assembly.

According to a report, published in the Indian Express, Ali allegedly made students recite the poem "lab pe aati hai dua" -- written by Muhammad Iqbal in 1902. This poem is usually recited in madrasas, and following the complaint, Bisalpur’s Block Education Officer (BEO) Upendra Kumar suspended him. Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Missing Law Student’s Body Found Buried in Former Landlord’s House in Ghaziabad.

On being asked about the development, Pilibhit DM Vaibhav Srivastava stated that Ali was suspended because he was not getting the national anthem sung. He said, as the daily quotes, "The headmaster was suspended because he was not getting the national anthem sung, and was making students sing a religious prayer." However, Ali denied the allegation and said that national anthem is sung "every day".

On being inquired further the reason behind his suspension, BEO Kumar stated, "If he (headmaster) gets a poem recited and not the national anthem, then there is an offence against him. If he wanted to do something different, he should have taken the government’s permission…"

To maintain a check whether the national anthem is sung at the primary school or not, BEO Kumar and Bisalpur’s Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Devendra Swarup claim that they do regular inspections. However, BEO Kumar stated, "The BEO has told me that the national anthem was being sung at the school. That was not the issue. The complaint was regarding a prayer sung at madrasas, and not about the national anthem." Uttar Pradesh Shocker: Jealous of Her Academic Performance, Cousins Rape Girl in Government School Campus.

Meanwhile, claiming innocence, Ali stated that the poem by Iqbal is part of the Urdu syllabus for classes I to VIII. He said, "VHP and Hindu Yuva Vahini workers held protests outside the school and at the Collectorate, demanding my removal. I only got a poem, which is part of the government school syllabus, sung. My students also raise patriotic slogans such as 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' every day during the assembly."

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 16, 2019 08:41 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).