Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The Partur police have booked three staff members of a private English-medium school and arrested one for allegedly promoting communal disharmony through a video of a school annual day function circulated on social media, officials said on Thursday.
FIR Registered on Complaint
Inspector Sudam Bhagwat, of Partur police station, said the First Information Report (FIR) was registered on the complaint of constable Govind Pawar from the Jalna police intelligence wing. One of the accused, the school president and headmaster, is currently hospitalised, and a police guard has been deployed at the hospital. “He will be arrested soon after his discharge,” Bhagwat said.
Video and Post Shared on Social Media
The police said the action followed a video and a post shared via an X handle that tagged senior officials and sought action. The FIR states the footage was shot during the school’s annual gathering held on February 22, 2025, at the Nagar Parishad cultural hall in Partur.
Objectionable Performance by Students
According to the complaint, Class VI students were seen performing a dance to a song with objectionable lyrics while holding imitation swords. The FIR alleges the programme was recorded by school functionaries and later circulated on social media. A preliminary investigation found the song used in the performance was from a Turkish soap opera, translated into Urdu and Hindi.
Accused Named in FIR
The FIR names the headmaster and a teacher for organising the event and preparing the video, as well as a female teacher who allegedly conducted the programme.
Police Statement
Jalna Superintendent of Police Teghbir Singh Sandhu said the accused, despite being educators, “promoted content capable of creating religious hatred and animosity between communities,” adding that the act allegedly glorified violence while a controversial slogan was played.
Legal Sections Invoked
The police have invoked BNS sections 152 (acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India), 196(1)(a) (promoting enmity between groups), 197 (imputations prejudicial to national integration), 353(2) (statements conducing to public mischief), and 3(5).
