AHMEDABAD: A private school in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad has issued an apology for a school event to familiarise students with practices of different religions after a group of activists including those from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) barged into the school premises and thrashed a teacher, saying he forced Hindu students to offer namaz at a function on September 29.

Niraliben Dagli, principal of Kalorex Future School in Ghatlodia, said the school issued an apology letter after the incident. The letter has been sent to the groups that led the protest against the school and its teacher.

In a video of the protest on Tuesday, a group of people are seen raining blows on the school’s music teacher, Maulik Pathak, even as police personnel try to shield him. Pathak is eventually escorted to safety by his colleagues and the police.

Umang Mojidra, secretary of ABVP’s Ahmedabad city unit, said the school hosted an event on September 29 which, like other events hosted by the school was broadcast live on their Facebook page.

“During this event, five students from class 2, all approximately 7 years old, are seen participating in namaz and extending Eid greetings to fellow students. It’s important to note that both the teacher and the school students are Hindus. The teacher and the school compelled the students to participate in Namaz, which led to our protest today.” Mojidra said.

Mojidra added that they didn’t intend to hurt the teacher but some protestors “may have unintentionally” roughed him up a bit.

Mojidra and the other protesters demanded that the principal resign. They were taken to the police station by police personnel and released soon after.

Niraliben Dagli said one student, who is a Muslim, performed namaz and was joined by four other students “and together they wish everyone a happy Eid”.

“The other four students are Hindus and we have taken the consent of the parents of all the participating students for the event. Nobody had an issue,” principal Dagli told HT.

“Pathak, a music teacher, was targeted possibly because he was seen playing the piano in the background of the video. It’s essential to mention that the namaz event lasted barely one and a half minutes,” she added.

“While the event was a mock demonstration and no one was compelled, at the same time, we do not want to hurt anyone’s sentiments. There is no ego trip, and we are an educational institute. The police were very supportive. We do not know how they reached the scene, maybe a parent called them. Our intention behind holding the September 29 event was never to hurt anyone and it was only meant to educate students about our festivals,” Dagli said.

In an apology letter sent to the protesters who barged into the school, the school said a public demonstration of namaz was conducted at the function on September 29.

“In this event, one student taught others how to perform namaz. This event came to the attention of Hindu organizations and parents, leading to discussions with the school authorities involving groups like the International Hindu Parishad, Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Through these discussions, the school authorities recognized the gravity of the situation and acknowledged its mistake,” the letter said.