Muzaffarnagar slap row: Muslim student likely to be admitted to govt school

A Muslim student, who was slapped by his classmates following the orders of a school teacher in Muzaffarnagar, will be admitted to a government primary school provided his family agrees to it, officials of the education department said on Sunday.

The department will also facilitate for the transfer of other students studying in Neha Public School in Khabbupur village where the incident took place on Friday, they said.

"The father of the boy who was slapped does not want his son to continue his studies there (Neha Public School). The block education officer spoke to the boy, and he expressed his willingness to study in the government primary school in the village. On Monday, his enrolment will be done in the government school, provided his family is willing to do so," Muzaffarnagar Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Shubham Shukla told PTI.

Shukla said that the private school in Khabbupur village will not be closed and normal teaching activities will continue.

"The school has been asked to give in a month its clarification to the department regarding its affiliation. It has three teachers and runs classes from one to five," the BSA said.

Neha Public School is affiliated to the basic education department of the Uttar Pradesh government. Currently, 50 students study in the school.

When asked whether Tripta Tyagi, the school teacher involved in the incident, will continue teaching in the school, Shukla said that it depends on police action against her.

The BSA also said that the block education officer will go to Neha Public School on Monday, and till the time the affiliation of the school is not cancelled, students who want to come there for studies, arrangements for them will be made.

"There is a government primary school in the village. Children who want to go there, they will be enrolled there. Students, who wish to continue study in the private school, can do so since they are already paying the fees. The formalities including transfer certificates (of the children) will be completed by the department, so that the parents do not face any additional burden," the BSA said.

As outrage poured in from all quarters, police on Saturday booked Tyagi, the school teacher accused of making communal comments and ordering her students to slap a Muslim classmate for not doing his homework.

The school was also served a notice by the education department in connection with the matter.

Tyagi was booked on the complaint of the boy's family under IPC sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) -- both non-cognisable offences. Such offences are bailable and do not lead to immediate arrest, and require a warrant.

The action came a day after a video showed Tyagi asking her students to slap the Class 2 boy at Neha Public School in Khubbapur village and also making a communal remark.

In her defence, Tyagi said the video has been tampered with in order to stoke tensions. She claimed that the video was shot by an uncle of the boy.

Tyagi said though it was wrong on her part to get a student slapped by his classmates, she was forced to do it as she is handicapped and was not able to stand up and reach the student who had not done his assignment.