In hateful rant, Delhi school teacher derides Muslim students

Hema Gulati was booked on Monday under sections 295A and 298 based on the complaint filed by a 13-year-old Muslim student who was in the class.

The Delhi government’s flagship “Deshbhakti” curriculum, meant to promote feelings of unity and national integration, has been hailed as a progressive step in the Capital’s school system. And yet, 33-year-old Hema Gulati, who taught the Deshbhakti curriculum in a Delhi government school in Kailash Nagar is in the eye of the storm after unleashing a hateful rant against Muslims and Islam in front of a class of 52 students of various faiths.

The Delhi government school in east Delhi’s Kailash Nagar where the incident took place. The teacher used to teach the Deshbhakti Curriculum. (HT photo)

Gulati was booked on Monday under sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class) and 298 (deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person), among other relevant, sections based on the complaint filed by a 13-year-old Muslim student who was in the class.

She has, however, not been arrested yet, said police, adding that she “joined the investigation” on Tuesday.

The Delhi government said they have set up a panel to address the matter and will issue anti-discrimination guidelines to all their teachers and principals.

The incident comes days after a teacher at a private school in Muzaffarnagar encouraged some students to slap a classmate while declaring that Muslim children whose parents do not pay attention to their education should be taught a lesson.

According to the complaint, Gulati, not for the first time, went on a hateful rant on August 23, hours before Chandrayaan-3 touched down on the Moon. She was wrapping up a lesson on the Moon, when she veered into vicious comments about Muslims.

“Muslims have no role to play in India’s independence... you cut animals and eat them.. you have no mercy,” she told Class 9A of the Delhi government’s Rajkiya Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, according to the complaint.

She also allegedly made hateful statements against the mosque in Mecca, considered the holiest site in Islam.

One of the children in the class told HT she also asked Muslims students to “go to Pakistan”. To be sure, this does not find mention in the complaint.

“You aren’t Indians,” she allegedly said, according to the boy cited above, who spoke to HT with his parents by his side.

One of the eight-nine Muslims students who study in the class got up and objected, but she allegedly scolded him and asked him to sit. Some other students allegedly clapped at whatever the teacher said, the complainant alleged.

According to students and parents, Gulati had a pattern of similar behaviour in the past.

Four students and their families approached the police on August 25, alleging she made derogatory and objectionable statements against Muslims and Islam on August 23 and multiple times before then as well.

“She teaches us Deshbhakti curriculum and two other subjects. But whatever she taught us was not written in any books,” said a student.

The abuse came to light when the 13-year-old complainant’s sister asked him about his day on August 23.

“He told me what the teacher said. This wasn’t the first time she was making statements against Muslims but this time, I thought I should ask other children as well,” said the boy’s 26-year-old sister Gaushiya Ansari.

The next day, she spoke to a few children from the class who corroborated her brother’s claims.

On August 25, Ansari and a few other Muslim parents decided to take action and spoke to the principal and the teacher.

The principal reportedly apologised, when the 26-year-old spoke to him.

“He didn’t call the teacher the first time. He only called her in when we went for the second time on the same day,” she said.

At the time, she apologised to the students and their parents in the principal’s office.

Parents of the Muslim students demanded strict action against the teacher and that she be suspended from the school. “We don’t want her near the children. She teaches them Deshbhakti curriculum but we don’t know in which book all this she teaches is written. She is creating communal differences between the students,” Ansari said.

Deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara) Rohit Meena said that a case was registered on Monday after the children were counselled.

Another Delhi Police officer said: “We have recorded statements of the complainants. We have also recorded statements of children from other faiths.”

A Delhi government spokesperson said a panel was set up to probe the matter.

“An inquiry committee has been set up to look into this matter. Guidelines are also being issued to all teachers and principals for ensuring non-discrimination along lines of religion, caste, region, language, etc.”