According to the police, a Class 11 student, identified as Shubham Rajput, had worn a tilak on his forehead.
Members of two communities clashed in Rajasthan’s Alwar on Thursday after some Muslim students at a government school allegedly objected to Hindu students wearing tilak on their forehead. The incident took place in Choma village, where the parents of the students also clashed with each other.
According to the police, a Class 11 student, identified as Shubham Rajput, had worn a tilak on his forehead. He was threatened and assaulted by some Muslim students, after which nearly 500 people from both communities gathered outside the school. Later, a first information report (FIR) was filed by Shubham’s parents. A large number of police personnel were deployed in the village to prevent any further escalation of tension between the two communities.
On July 25, some Muslim students at a government school in Rajasthan’s Alwar district objected to a Hindu student wearing tilak on his forehead. The following day, several Hindu students were spotted wearing tilak in school. This allegedly led to an altercation, forcing the principal to intervene. Later, on July 27 (Thursday), a fight broke out between Shubham Rajput and some Muslim students over the tilak issue. Shubham, who was spotted with a tilak at the school, was allegedly threatened by a group of eight boys from the Muslim community. They allegedly asked him to remove the tilak or face consequences. When Shubham tried to complain to the principal, the group allegedly assaulted him and removed the tilak from his forehead forcibly. According to the police, students belonging to the Muslim community also asked Shubham to convert to Islam, along with his family. On learning about the incident, Shubham’s parents arrived at the school. However, they too were allegedly told to convert and warned of dire consequences if they didn’t do so.
Later on Thursday, Shubham’s parents filed a complaint under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), prompting an investigation into the matter. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jay Ahuja alleged the police were not taking any action in the case. Condemning the entire incident, Ahuja also warned of protests if justice was not done for Shubham’s family.
