Solidarity swells for Ahmedabad school amidst book row: 350 voices defend Malala, Anne Frank in Gujarat

By A Representative 

A controversy over two celebrated books has plunged a private school in Ahmedabad into a political firestorm, drawing in right-wing groups and the state education department. The incident has now sparked a widespread solidarity campaign, with hundreds of citizens defending the school’s academic freedom.

The row at Anand Niketan School in Shilaj began on August 11, when parents protested after a student allegedly found a piece of glass in a snack served at the school canteen. However, the protests quickly escalated into a religious and political confrontation. Parents, joined by activists from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, alleged that the school was forcing students to read "books from other religions". 

The objectionable texts were identified as "I Am Malala" by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank, the Jewish Holocaust victim. Protesters also accused the school of discontinuing morning prayers and of discriminating against students from a particular religion.

Facing intense pressure, the school management has moved to distance itself from the controversy. In a letter to the Gujarat Education Minister, school chairman Kamal Mangal stated that the books were never part of the compulsory curriculum but were part of an optional Book Club intended to encourage reading. Despite this, the school has now made the two texts "optional". 

Furthermore, the school terminated its association with Munazza Shums, an alumna and education consultant who had been working as a "curriculum designer and teacher trainer". Chairman Mangal confirmed the decision, stating, "Moving forward, we will not be inviting Ms Munazza Shums for further consultations". He also refuted allegations that Shums was functioning as the head of the school or that she had made the books mandatory. 

The District Education Officer (DEO), Rohit Chaudhary, issued a show-cause notice to the school and ordered an inquiry. The school was fined Rs 10,000, directed to refund food service fees, and ordered to shut its canteen operations. The canteen supervisor was also dismissed.

The incident has raised alarm among educators and civil society, who see it as an attack on academic freedom. 

The Student and Youth Collective, Ahmedabad (SYCA), a volunteer-led group of students, writers, activists, and lawyers, has issued a solidarity statement in support of the school's teachers and leadership. In a statement shared with Counterview, the collective condemned the interference and called the events an "extremely worrying symptom of education in Gujarat and India at large." 

The statement argues that schools should be spaces for "critical reading, discussion, and healthy debate" and that the two books are "valuable resources for learning". It also pointedly notes that members of the VHP and Bajrang Dal have been "threatening and pressurizing the school to not take in Muslim students and teachers," condemning the "majoritarian and Islamophobic turn these events have taken." 

The collective has called on the government to give the school the "autonomy that is necessary to carry on with its educational initiatives." The statement has garnered over 350 endorsements from students, teachers, principals, activists, lawyers, and professors across India within just three days.

The school, which was closed for in-person classes following the protests, is set to resume operations with added security and food safety measures in place.