MP teacher suspended for making students perform ‘namaz-like postures’, ETEducation
INDORE: A government school teacher in Burhanpur district has been suspended for allegedly making students perform Namaz-like postures before Surya Namaskar at Government Hindi Middle School, Devhari.
According to officials, the complaint reached District Education Officer (DEO) Santosh Singh Solanki through a Jan Shikshak. Acting on the report, Solanki visited the school and recorded statements from students, teachers, and parents.
Some of them confirmed that Namaz-like postures were being performed before Surya Namaskar. Based on the findings, the teacher, Jaboor Ahmed Tadvi, was suspended on Saturday. The video of the incident surfaced on social media on Wednesday.
“We received a complaint from Devhari Government Middle School that a teacher was teaching students postures resembling Namaz. As teachers are not allowed to teach or promote religious practices of any faith in government schools, the accused teacher was suspended with immediate effect. A departmental inquiry has been initiated,” DEO Solanki told TOI. Meanwhile, Tadvi denied the allegations, claiming he was only following the yoga curriculum prescribed by the government. “These allegations are completely baseless. The timetable includes a yoga period from 10:30 to 11:30, during which students perform yoga asanas from the official Surya Namaskar booklet. The posture being described as a ‘Namaz step’ is actually a yoga asana called Shashankasana, where students sit like a rabbit and bend forward with outstretched arms. I request a fair investigation,” he said.
A parent said the matter came to light when children mentioned at home that Namaz-like steps were being practiced in class. “My children study at Devhari Hindi Medium School. They told me after the Diwali vacation that they were being made to perform Namaz steps before Surya Namaskar. I immediately informed the Jan Shikshak and requested strict action. Schools are meant for education, not for religious instruction. Such acts should not be tolerated,” said Vinod Rathore, a parent.
The issue drew further attention when Hindu Jagran Manch district president Ajit Pardesi visited the school on Friday. DEO Solanki confirmed that a written report and panchanama were prepared during the inspection, leading to disciplinary action.
Additional district magistrate Veer Singh Chauhan said, “The complaint was verified, and the teacher has been suspended pending inquiry.”
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