Police in Kanpur, a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, launched an investigation on Monday at a private school for allegedly forcing Hindu students to recite the Islamic declaration of faith ('Kalma' or 'Shahada').
According to media reports, Florets International School allegedly forced Hindu students to recite 'Kalma' during morning prayers. The controversy unfolded after parents of a student raised concerns.
“My wife raised concern about it and when we spoke to our son, he said that every day after prayer the school teaches it to them. My concern is why should my son read this? What if he disapproves of his own religion after some days?" one parent told local media.
In a statement to the police, the school management claimed that the prayers of four religions (Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Christian) were recited on the premises during the morning assembly to boost the 'Sarva Dharma Samman' (respect for all religions) ideology.
"The students in the school have been reciting prayers for four religions for the last 12-13 years [and] no one ever objected,” Principal Ankita Yadav told media.
“We want to teach the students that all religions are equal. But now we are getting [issues] because of that," she reportedly said, adding that because of that, the school has decided to switch to only playing the national anthem during morning prayer time.
Uttar Pradesh has been the center of sectarian tensions in June this year, as violence broke out in the state over a controversial remark about Prophet Muhammad made by now-suspended BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma.