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Official triggers row by mentioning Bengal Class 12 topper’s religion, not name
“The highest marks obtained this year is 499. A Muslim girl secured the marks. She is a Muslim lady from Murshidabad,” said West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education head Mahua Das on Thursday
Political and religious organisations have called for the removal of West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) head Mahua Das for mentioning the religion and not the name of the Class 12 state board exam topper.
“The highest marks obtained this year is 499. A Muslim girl secured the marks. She is a Muslim lady from Murshidabad,” said Das on Thursday.
On Friday, the West Bengal State Chhatra Parishad, a student organisation, staged a protest against Das. A scuffle broke out between the police and another set of protesters outside Das’s office.
In a statement, the Bengal Imams Associations said: “It is very shameful and unfortunate. We condemn this. Instead of naming the student, she chose to highlight her religion.” The association has urged chief minister Mamata Banerjee to remove Das.
Tapas Roy, a ruling Trinamool Congress spokesperson, said this could have been avoided. “She could have referred to the girl as a candidate or a student.”
The student’s wing of the Congress also demanded either Das should apologise or be removed.
