Anti-CAA play: Karnataka cops continuing to harass students, says Shahin Institute CEO

Bidar: The CEO of the Shahin Institution has said the police is continuing to harass students over the anti-CAA play performed at a primary school run by it here.

Speaking to reporters, the CEO Tousif Madakeri said that as an FIR has been filed against the management, all the members of the institution including its president Abdul Khadar have applied for anticipatory bail and the court would take up the hearing of the application on Wednesday.

Tousif said the police arrested the headmistress of the Shahin Primary Urdu Medium School and the mother of an 11-year-old boy on false charges on January 30 though their names did not figure in the FIR.

Even after the arrest of the headmistress and one of the parents, the police have continued to visit the school, he said. Three or four police personnel come to the school at 11.00 AM and the investigating officer Basaveshwar Hira (Bidar Dy SP) comes at 1.00 PM and question the students for hours together.

On Monday, the police questioned the students for four hours. They were questioning all the 80 students, he said. The presence of the police almost every day in the school has created a fear psychosis among the students as well as the parents, Tousif said.  

To a question, he said that on the first day the police came in uniform and later they were coming in civil dress. But they were insisting



that students answer the questions on who has written the script for the drama ‘Awareness on NPR, NRC and CAA” in which seven students acted.

Tousif, as well as some of the students, said an actor in the drama said as part of his dialogue that he would beat with chappals anyone who asks for documents for the NPR and NRC. Such dialogues are common in any drama, he said.

The actor had not shown any chappals but police have insisted that the boy who played the role show the chappals from the drama, said Tousif. They also seized the chappals which the boy had worn, he added. Teachers also echoed the same complaint but refused to be named in the report.

Meanwhile, the Child Welfare Committee chairperson of Bidar Kavita Husheri has told Express that the CWC has written a letter to the Bidar police seeking details about the incident, how many students they have questioned, how many times the police questioned them and whether they followed the rules under the Juvenile Justice Act.

The CWC would hold a meeting on Tuesday and discuss the incident and the follow-up, Kavita said.

Dy SP Basaveshwara Hira told Express that as the investigation is ongoing, they had to ask for the details from those involved.

Bidar SP Nagesh said the police have not violated the Juvenile Justice Act which was strictly being followed during the investigation.