The distressing incident of a Muslim child being subjected to physical assault in a Muzaffarnagar school has now made its way to the Supreme Court. In a significant development, Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, has filed a petition urging the court to initiate legal proceedings, including the registration of an FIR, against the female teacher involved in the incident.

New Delhi: The case concerning the assault of a Muslim child in a school in Muzaffarnagar has escalated to the highest judicial authority in India, the Supreme Court. Justice Abhay Soka’s bench is scheduled to conduct a hearing on this matter today, September 6, 2023. Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, has implored the court to take appropriate action against the female teacher responsible for the assault.

The incident in question recently caused an uproar at Neha Public School, Mansoorpur, situated in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh (UP), after a video depicting the child’s assault went viral. The father of the child alleged that the teacher had instigated the child to engage in physical altercations with classmates, allegedly due to the child’s community background. In her defense, teacher Tripta Tyagi claimed, “The child’s parents had requested that we be strict with him as he was not completing his homework. Given that he has a disability, we asked other children to help him by engaging in mild physical reprimands.”

In response to the incident, the district education department has issued an order for the school’s closure. According to the Muzaffarnagar District Education Department, the school’s registration, which was granted in 2019 for a three-year period, expired in 2022, prompting the closure directive. Students who were enrolled in the school have since been accommodated in other educational institutions.

Following the widespread dissemination of the video, which led to public outrage across the country, the local police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the teacher. In an official statement, the police clarified that a teacher in Khobapur village had been charged in an FIR for allegedly instructing students to physically reprimand their classmates for failing to complete homework assignments. The FIR was filed based on a complaint lodged by the child’s father.

The victim in this case conveyed, “I couldn’t remember a particular concept, so one of my classmates slapped me. The teacher instructed them to do so. Subsequently, they subjected me to an hour of physical abuse.” The boy’s cousin disclosed that he had visited the school on an errand, where he witnessed the teacher instructing other students to slap his brother.

In a significant development, the Supreme Court has granted an urgent hearing to a writ petition filed by the President and three editors of the Editors Guild of India (EGI). The Editors Guild members are challenging the First Information Report (FIR) lodged by Manipur Police, alleging the release of a “biased and factually inaccurate” report on the ethnic conflict in Manipur, a northeastern state of India.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra have taken cognizance of the matter. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, representing the members of the fact-finding committee formed by EGI, emphasized the urgency of the case, expressing concerns about potential arrests. Divan stated, “There is a very grave urgency in the case… Essentially, we are seeking emergent protection from arrest and coercive steps.”

After brief deliberation, the bench responded, “Alright, you get your papers produced. We will take it up after our admission cases are over for today.”

Multiple FIRs have been filed against the President of the EGI and three editors – Seema Guha, Bharat Bhushan, and Sanjay Kapoor. They had visited Manipur last month to investigate media coverage of the ethnic violence and its surrounding circumstances.

A three-member fact-finding team from EGI, after conducting an on-ground assessment in Manipur, published its report in New Delhi last week. The report claimed that media reports on the ethnic violence in Manipur were one-sided and accused the state leadership of showing partiality.

The FIR alleges that the EGI report incorrectly labeled a photo of a burning building in Manipur’s Churachandpur district as a “Kuki house.” In reality, the building in question was a Forest Department beat office that had been set on fire by a mob on May 3, the day when widespread violence erupted in the district and other parts of the state.

EGI, in response, issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), acknowledging an error in a photo caption in the report released on September 2. They assured that the mistake was being rectified, and an updated report would be uploaded shortly, expressing regret for the error that occurred during the photo editing stage.

In a significant political development, the Congress Party has officially declared its participation in the upcoming special session of Parliament. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi is poised to send a formal letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting the session’s agenda and highlighting critical concerns.

On Tuesday, Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of the Congress’ Parliamentary Party, convened a meeting with the party’s Parliamentary strategy group to discuss the party’s approach.

A trusted party insider has disclosed that the Congress has chosen not to boycott the special session scheduled to begin on September 18 and extend until September 22.

During the Parliamentary strategy group meeting, party MPs, including Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge, unanimously agreed to attend the special session with a proactive and constructive agenda.

Additionally, the source revealed that Sonia Gandhi intends to dispatch a letter to the Prime Minister in the coming days formally requesting the session’s agenda. In this letter, she will also convey the Opposition’s demand for discussions on a range of pressing issues during the session.

Notably, the decision for Sonia Gandhi to correspond with PM Modi garnered unanimous support from all floor leaders of the INDIA bloc in Parliament. These leaders convened at Kharge’s residence to strategize for the five-day special session.

This development follows the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance’s (INDIA) decision during its two meetings to prioritize discussions on various pressing matters, including the Adani Group, the demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), rising prices, unemployment, the situation in Manipur, and economic, political, and foreign issues during the session commencing on September 18.

Meanwhile, an additional party source has reported that during a dinner meeting at Kharge’s residence on Tuesday night, floor leaders discussed concerns about attempts by government officials and ministers to use “Bharat” instead of “India.”

A recent controversy arose when a G20 dinner invitation referred to Droupadi Murmu as the President of “Bharat” rather than the President of India.

The INDIA bloc parties are determined to oppose any efforts to eliminate the term “India” from the Constitution. (Source: National Herald)

Manipur authorities have imposed a comprehensive curfew across all five valley districts of the state as a precautionary measure, effective from Tuesday evening, according to official sources.

This decision to cancel curfew relaxation hours in Bishnupur, Kakching, Thoubal, Imphal West, and Imphal East follows developments related to the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) and its women’s wing. COCOMI has called on residents from across the valley districts to take action against an army barricade located at Phougakchao Ikhai in Bishnupur district, a few kilometers away from Churachandpur, on Wednesday, officials have confirmed.

Presently, curfew relaxation is permitted in all five valley districts from 5 am to 6 pm daily.

In an unscheduled press conference, government spokesperson and Information and Public Relations Minister Sapam Ranjan issued an appeal, stating, “The government urges COCOMI to reconsider their plan to approach the army barricade at Phougakchao Ikhai near Torbung on September 6.” Sapam also called on the public “to support the security measures taken by the government.”

Notably, individuals engaged in essential services, including healthcare, electricity, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), petrol stations, educational institutions, municipal services, media, court operations, and flight passengers, will be exempt from the curfew, according to officials.

COCOMI’s media coordinator, Somendro Thokchom, revealed that the committee had previously urged the government and relevant authorities to dismantle the barricade by August 30. While encouraging residents to approach the barricade, Thokchom underscored that the state government should bear full responsibility for any untoward incidents.

Local residents have expressed concerns about the Phougakchao Ikhai barricade, stating that it has prevented them from returning to their homes in Torbung since the outbreak of violence on May 3.