- Hindu teacher Hema Gulati from Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in Delhi faces allegations of making offensive comments targeting Muslim students, including communal slurs and religious insults.
- Delhi Police respond to parental complaints, initiating legal proceedings against Gulati under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code; community outrage and protests follow, demanding her dismissal and accountability for divisive behaviour.
The accused Hindu teacher, Hema Gulati, employed at Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar locality, is under scrutiny for alleged offensive behaviour on August 23. The accusations revolve around her alleged use of communal slurs and offensive statements directed at Muslim students, invoking their religious beliefs and practices. This incident closely follows the recent controversy in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar in which a teacher was filmed commanding Hindu students to slap their Muslims classmate.
Responding to parental complaints, Delhi Police have initiated legal proceedings against Gulati for her alleged inflammatory remarks. A case has been registered against her under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including inciting hostility between religious groups, insulting religious beliefs, and intending to cause religious distress.
According to one student, Ishraq, the teacher claimed that Muslims were not originally from India. Gousiya, a sibling of a student, shared that these comments emerged after the recent Chandrayan-3 lunar landing. Gousiya stated, “According to the teacher, Muslims didn’t contribute to India’s fight for freedom, and she believes Muslims are undisciplined, often relying on swords for victory in wars.”
Reportedly, the teacher also used disrespectful language when referencing the Ka’aba. Zubair Ansari, another student, recounted that the teacher claimed, “Because of the darkness, the Ka’aba is black, and she believes the location is cursed.”
These alleged statements have sparked widespread outrage within the parent and community circles. Aggrieved parents have lodged complaints against Gulati, highlighting “her abusive conduct within the classroom.” The incident has also led to a protest organized by students and their families outside the school premises.
Kausar, a mother of two students at the school, demanded the immediate dismissal of the teacher and urged a ban on her teaching elsewhere.
She emphasized that the teacher’s “divisive comments” not only hurt students’ sentiments but also propagated discord among them. She also said that the role of a teacher is to teach and not spread ignorant and hateful comments about Islam.
Former councilor Hasibul Hasan expressed concern that the teacher’s actions aimed to sow seeds of hatred within impressionable young minds, which could have detrimental effects on their future.
The local Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) committee has also joined the growing chorus of voices demanding decisive action against the teacher, who has yet to comment on the matter. Since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in India, concerns about the rise of Islamophobia within the country have heightened. The BJP, a Hindu nationalist party, seeks to promote Hindu cultural and religious values, but this has often resulted in inflammatory rhetoric and divisive policies that contribute to an environment fostering anti-Muslim sentiments.
