Muslim teachers' suspension meant to create maximum polarization in Rajasthan: CASR

Counterview Desk

The civil rights network*, Campaign Against State Repression (CASR), opposing what it called "arbitrary suspension" of three Muslim teachers from a higher secondary school in Rajasthan, has said that the school management acted on allegations by a local Hindutva organization, Sarv Hindu Samaj, which raised a furore regarding their presence in the village school.

The allegations, said CASR, not only tarnished the reputation of these educators, but also sought to "perpetuate a climate of discrimination and prejudice within educational institutions, which is detrimental to the very essence of these institutions and what they strive to be."

"It is important to note that students of the school organized a gathering in front of the Sub-Division Magistrate’s office against the suspension of their teachers", it added in a statement.

Text:

It is beyond problematic that Firoz Khan, Mirza Mujahid and Shabana, teachers at Higher Senior Secondary School Khajuri, Rajasthan, were suspended from their jobs on 21st February 2024 under the allegations of being involved in “Islamic Jihadist activities,” “religious conversions” and “love jihad.” The school acted on allegations pursued by local brahmanical Hindutva fascist organization Sarv Hindu Samaj which raised a furore regarding the presence of Muslim teachers in the village school.

Such allegations, apart from tarnishing the reputation of these educators, perpetuate a climate of discrimination and prejudice within educational institutions, which is detrimental to the very essence of these institutions and what they strive to be. It is important to note that students of the school organized a gathering in front of the Sub-Division Magistrate’s office against the suspension of their teachers by walking from their village to Sangod SDM office on 26th February.

They have firmly stated that the allegations against their teachers are unfounded, that their educators aspired for communal harmony and that it was the elements of RSS and its local proxy Sarv Hindu Samaj who had been trying to foster communal hatred against oppressed minorities like Muslims in their school from the outside.

The school-going students even handed a letter of memorandum to the Tehsildar and SDM stating their points and demanding the dismissal of such allegations against their teachers as well as their reinstatement.

We echo the sentiments of the students who have protested against the suspension, some of whom were forced to give false testimonies against the suspended teachers.

The BJP-RSS combine has tried its hardest to harvest the results of the brahmanical Hindutva fascist violence it has laid the seeds for all across India in their goal to establish a “New India,” their “Vision 2047,” a Hindu rashtra itself.

The teachers were suspended under the allegations of being involved in Islamic Jihadist activities, religious conversions and love jihad

In such a bid, it will target all oppressed minorities, including religious minorities, oppressed nationalities, peasants and workers and is bound to threaten their very existences via genocidal measures, be it the “shoot on sight” orders and subsequent murders of Muslims in Haldwani at the hands of the police, the killing of a 6 month old Adivasi in Bastar, the handing of guns to Hindutva militias in Manipur and the subsequent mass rapes of women conducted by them, the torture of youth in Kashmir at the hands of the Indian army, the incarceration of political prisoners in the anti-CAA/NRC protests or under the dozens of “Maoist links” cases or even situations such as the loss of employment of Dalit academics, or the targeting of Muslim teachers in their sphere of employment. Brahmanical Hindutva fascism seeks to create maximum polarization for the sake of serving its corporate interests.

We call for an immediate reinstatement of Firoz Khan, Mirza Mujahid, and Shabana, who’s suspension rests on no rational grounds, and is thoroughly suggestive of ulterior motives.

Furthermore, we urge the authorities to conduct an impartial investigation into the allegations against Firoz Khan, Mirza Mujahid, and Shabana. Any disciplinary action should be based on concrete evidence rather than unsubstantiated claims.

We call for the protection of academic freedom and a learning environment free from discrimination and intimidation. Educational institutions should be spaces where diversity is celebrated and respected, not grounds for targeting individuals based on their religious identity.

---

*AIRSO, AISA, AISF, APCR, BASF, BSM, Bhim Army, bsCEM, CEM, CRPP, CTF, DISSC, DSU, DTF, Forum Against Repression Telangana, Fraternity, IAPL, Innocence Network, Karnataka Janashakti, Progressive Lawyers Association, Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, Mazdoor Patrika, NAPM, Nishant Natya Manch, Nowruz, NTUI, People’s Watch, Rihai Manch, Samajwadi Janparishad, Smajwadi Lok Manch, Bahujan Samjavadi Manch, SFI, United Against Hate, United Peace Alliance, WSS, Y4S

Comments

Covishield controversy: How India ignored a warning voice during the pandemic

Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD * It is a matter of pride for us that a person of Indian origin, presently Director of National Institute of Health, USA, is poised to take over one of the most powerful roles in public health. Professor Jay Bhattacharya, an Indian origin physician and a health economist, from Stanford University, USA, will be assuming the appointment of acting head of the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. Bhattacharya would be leading two apex institutions in the field of public health which not only shape American health policies but act as bellwether globally.

Growth without justice: The politics of wealth and the economics of hunger

By Vikas Meshram* In modern history, few periods have displayed such a grotesque and contradictory picture of wealth as the present. On one side, a handful of individuals accumulate in a single year more wealth than the annual income of entire nations. On the other, nearly every fourth person in the world goes to bed hungry or half-fed.

Thali, COVID and academic credibility: All about the 2020 'pseudoscientific' Galgotias paper

By Jag Jivan The first page image of the paper "Corona Virus Killed by Sound Vibrations Produced by Thali or Ghanti: A Potential Hypothesis" published in the Journal of Molecular Pharmaceuticals and Regulatory Affairs , Vol. 2, Issue 2 (2020), has gone viral on social media in the wake of the controversy surrounding a Chinese robot presented by the Galgotias University as its original product at the just-concluded AI summit in Delhi . The resurfacing of the 2020 publication, authored by Dharmendra Kumar , Galgotias University, has reignited debate over academic standards and scientific credibility.

The 'glass cliff' at Galgotias: How a university’s AI crisis became a gendered blame game

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* “She was not aware of the technical origins of the product and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information.” These were the words used in the official press release by Galgotias University following the controversy at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. The statement came across as defensive, petty, and deeply insensitive.

'Serious violation of international law': US pressure on Mexico to stop oil shipments to Cuba

By Vijay Prashad In January 2026, US President Donald Trump declared Cuba to be an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to US security—a designation that allows the United States government to use sweeping economic restrictions traditionally reserved for national security adversaries. The US blockade against Cuba began in the 1960s, right after the Cuban Revolution of 1959 but has tightened over the years. Without any mandate from the United Nations Security Council—which permits sanctions under strict conditions—the United States has operated an illegal, unilateral blockade that tries to force countries from around the world to stop doing basic commerce with Cuba. The new restrictions focus on oil. The United States government has threatened tariffs and sanctions on any country that sells or transports oil to Cuba.

When grief becomes grace: Kerala's quiet revolution in organ donation

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Kerala is an important model for understanding India's diversity precisely because the religious and cultural plurality it has witnessed over centuries brought together traditions and good practices from across the world. Kerala had India's first communist government, was the first state where a duly elected government was dismissed, and remains the first state to achieve near-total literacy. It is also a land where Christianity and Islam took root before they spread to Europe and other parts of the world. Kerala has deep historic rationalist and secular traditions.

When a lake becomes real estate: The mismanagement of Hyderabad’s waterbodies

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava* Misunderstood, misinterpreted and misguided governance and management of urban lakes in India —illustrated here through Hyderabad —demands urgent attention from Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the political establishment, the judiciary, the builder–developer lobby, and most importantly, the citizens of Hyderabad. Fundamental misconceptions about urban lakes have shaped policies and practices that systematically misuse, abuse and ultimately erase them—often in the name of urban development.

Activists warn of gendered impact of VB-GRAMG Act, seek return to MGNREGA framework

By A Representative The All-India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA), along with the Agrarian Alliance and Workers’ Forum of the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), has written to President Droupadi Murmu urging her to call upon Parliament to repeal the newly enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 (VB-GRAMG Act) and restore and strengthen the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Stray dogs, an epsilon (ϵ) problem: Of child labour, and the art of misplaced priorities

By Bhaskaran Raman The Greek alphabet ϵ (epsilon) is used in maths and science to denote a quantity which is not zero, but extremely small *** Since the Supreme Court's interim order on the issue of stray dogs came out on 07 Nov 2025, there have been a range of opinion pieces speaking for the voiceless. Most of them take the stance that there is a "problem" with stray dogs, but that we need a humane solution. I agree with this broadly, but I think we need new terminology to talk about this.

Search This Blog