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A 12-year-old Muslim girl student who is studying in Class 7 of a government school in Ashokapuram in Thudiyalur, in Coimbatore, was allegedly subjected to religion-based discrimination by teachers of the school. According to the police complaint lodged by the parents of the student, a teacher named Abhinaya allegedly slapped a girl and asked her to clean her footwear in front of everyone in the classroom after the former found out that her father runs a beef shop and that she consumes it as well. “While beating her the teacher said my daughter’s rudeness was because she ate beef,” Mukthar alleged. He further claimed his daughter was made to clean the shoes of other students. He also accused the headmistress of refusing to act, when they brought the incident to her notice.

Chief educational officer R Balamurali held an inquiry with the girl, her parents, the teacher and the headmistress. However, both the teacher and headmistress have denied the allegations and said the girl had only been pulled up for being poor in studies. They also accused the girl’s parents of raking up the issue with the backing of a few others.

Education department officials are yet to complete the inquiry. Officials said they would speak to fellow students and teachers to ascertain whether the charges made by the girl’s parents are true. Balamurali refrained from making any comments as the inquiry is still on.

The teachers have been suspended pending further investigation and the CEO has been tasked with overseeing the inquiry. “The student had raised the issue several times over the last two months, but when a complaint was lodged with the school authorities, they denied the matter and refused to conduct an inquiry. She was made to clean shoes using her niqab, beaten and verbally abused by teachers,” the girl’s parents claimed.  

The FIR was not filed.