UP Teacher Arrested Over "Mere Allah Burai Se Bachana Mujhko" Prayer

A 'shiksha mitra' or para-teacher was arrested on Saturday after he was accused of allowing the recitation "madrassa-type prayers" in a school here by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, police said.

The para-teacher was also dismissed from service for reciting the Urdu prayer, they said.

"Shiksha mitra Waziruddin was arrested on Saturday for hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus. He has been sent to jail," Superintendent of Police (Rural) Rajkumar Agarwal said.

Basic Education Officer of the district Vinay Kumar said that Waziruddin has also been dismissed from service.

He added that the school's principal, Nahid Siddiqui, was suspended earlier.

Police had on Friday recorded the statements of staff at a school here over the recitation of an Urdu prayer at the accusation of right wing group VHP.

The prayer was later found to have been written by famous Urdu poet Allama Iqbal, who is also known to have written 'Sare Jahan Se Achcha, Hindustan Hamara.' The incident happened at a government higher primary school in Faridpur, according to Vinay Kumar.

Agarwal had on Friday said that a video of the alleged incident had been sent for forensic examination.

In the said video, students can be heard singing, "Mere Allah burai se bachana mujhko, nek jo rah ho us rah pe chalana mujhko... Lab pe aati he dua ban ke tamanna meri..." Some members of the local unit of the VHP accused Siddiqui and Waziruddin of hurting religious sentiments of the people in a Hindu-dominated area, Kumar said.

The VHP also alleged that the accused were trying to convert the students, he said.

Based on a complaint by the VHP's city president Sompal Rathore, an FIR was registered against the principal and the Para-teacher on Wednesday.