A private school in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, canceled its planned Eid celebration for students on Monday following threats from Hindutva groups.
Auckland House School, a private English-medium institution, had asked students to wear ‘kurta-pajama’ with a small cap and bring ‘roti’ rolls with ‘paneer,’ ‘sevaiyan,’ and dry fruits for Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations on the last Friday before Eid, March 28.
This sparked outrage from Hindutva organizations, including the VHP and Dev Bhoomi Sangarsh Samiti, which alleged that an attempt was “unfortunately” being made to promote Islam in Himachal Pradesh.
Dev Bhoomi Sangarsh Samiti claimed the directives were a violation of the principle of secularism enshrined in the Constitution and threatened to “gherao” the school and pursue legal action if the decision was not withdrawn.
However, the school authorities withdrew their decision, stating, “The safety and well-being of our children is our highest priority.”
“The planned Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations for classes nursery to 2 were a part of our efforts to help young students appreciate India’s cultural diversity—just as we celebrate Holi, Diwali, and Christmas,” the school said in a communique to parents.
“It was intended purely as a cultural learning experience, with no religious rituals, and participation was entirely voluntary,” they added.
In a separate statement, the school said that “certain individuals have posted false, misleading, and communally inflammatory messages regarding our institution on social media platforms.”
“Our aim is to foster empathy, understanding, and respect among children from all backgrounds,” they said, condemning attempts to “misrepresent these celebrations as religious propaganda. Such actions only serve to harm social harmony and misguide the public.”
The school also expressed concerns over these posts, stating that they disclosed restricted information, violated privacy, endangered individuals, breached responsible digital conduct norms, and urged immediate removal to protect institutional and individual safety.
“We call upon all right-thinking members of society to stand against such divisive and unethical actions and to support an education grounded in mutual respect, dignity, and truth,” the statement read.
Education Minister Rohit Thakur dismissed the claims of Hindutva groups, stating that the issue was being unnecessarily magnified to disturb social harmony.
“This issue is being exaggerated only to provoke communal sentiments. The matter will be investigated. However, the message from the school administration was issued solely with the intent of maintaining communal harmony,” he told ANI.
“Today itself, I became aware of this matter through media reports. We will confirm the details, as the school being named is a well-established, reputed convent institution here. Himachal Pradesh is known for its communal harmony and goodwill, and we will ensure that this remains intact,” he added.
