Following a complaint and protest by Hindutva groups including VHP over the recitation of Islamic prayers – as part of multifaith worship – in a private school in Uttar Pradesh, directors of the school have been booked by the police under Sections 295A of the Indian Penal Code and Section 5(1) of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2021.
The Florets International school in Kanpur remained shut for the second day in a row over the Hindutva campaign, The Wire reported.
ACP Nishank Sharma said to the news portal that an investigation has been initiated in the case.
The complaint by Hindutva group states that “an attempt is being made by the school to pave way for religious conversion of the students.”The school is carrying out “Shiksha Jihad” as students are being made to recite an Islamic prayer, said the complaint.
The complaint against the school also demands that the school should be sealed alongside other branches of the school.
The prayer book has prayers pertaining to multiple faiths, including the Gayatri Mantra, Sanchi Vaani and a pledge about belonging in India, according to The Wire.
The multi-faith prayers had been part of the morning assembly since the school’s founding in 2003 but following the objections raised by some parents to the presence of Islamic prayers, the school authorities have decided to only recite the national anthem, said school principal Shradha Sharma.
 of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2021.){kind=link}