Alwar: Hindu pupil beaten for wearing tilak, asked to embrace Islam

An instance of the thrashing of a Hindu boy on 27 July who attended a school in Rajasthan’s Alwar district for wearing a tilak (forehead mark) has come to light. He was reportedly assaulted by the Muslim students and then their family members at the institution. It has created an atmosphere of tension in the area. Police have registered a case against six people in the matter.

The issue took place at the Government Higher Secondary School in Chauma Village in the Alwar District. The controversy commenced on 25 July when Muslim pupils protested against the Hindu student for putting Tilak to school. The following day, several Hindu students reached the school sporting the sacred symbol and Muslim students opposed it again.

Afterwards, the principal attempted to persuade both sides through dialogue in view of the mounting uproar. He stated that no one should object to applying tilak. However, the matter didn’t die down there and erupted a second time on 27 July at around 9 in the morning.

Two pupils initially engaged in the dispute and later, a few more of them joined in. A Hindu boy in class eleven was intimidated by 7 or 8 Muslim students for donning tilak. Furthermore, the perpetrators made an attempt to remove the auspicious mark on his forehead.

He tried to complain to the principal when they surrounded him, took off his tilak and assaulted him brutally. When Yusuf Mev, a relative of one of the accused, learned of the unfolding events, he arrived at the institution, attacked the victim and fled from the spot. The latter has revealed that the offender and his family have threatened him and his family to embrace Islam. He has been asked to convert or he will be killed.

The occurrence that took place in the school has been reported by the boy’s family to the nearby Ramgarh police station. The police lodged a case against six people under sections 143, 323, 341, 506, and 295(a) of the Indian Penal Code based on his statement as well as the complaint.

According to the police, there are at present negotiations going on between the parties involved in the dispute. A heavy police force has been deployed in the village to prevent any rise in the conflict and tackle any situation.

In another similar situation, a girl was expelled from school for adorning a rudraksha along with tilak. The school management asked her to put a smaller tripund, but she refused. They claimed that she was vitiating the institution’s atmosphere. Moreover, she also passed remarks about pupils who practised other religions. The officials sought an inquiry and action against the school administration after learning about the dubious state of affairs.