The district education officer in Kota has suspended two government schoolteachers and initiated an inquiry against a third teacher for their alleged involvement in religious conversion and "love jihad," as well as their ties with banned "jihadi outfits." The state education minister, Madan Dilawar, directed the action following complaints received during a visit to Sangod block.
The three teachers, posted at a government senior secondary school in Khajuri Odpur village, have been instructed to register their attendance at the Directorate of Education in Bikaner during the suspension and inquiry period. The teachers involved are named as Firoj Khan, Mirza Mujjahid, and Shabana.
Residents of Khajuri handed over a memorandum to the education minister, accusing the teachers of forcing schoolgirls to convert to Islam and offer namaz. The villagers claimed that a Hindu girl's name was changed to a Muslim name in school records, and she was later abducted by Muslim youths, with her whereabouts unknown.
In a video statement, Minister Madan Dilawar stated that upon learning of the matter, he promptly ordered the suspension of Firoj Khan and Mirza Mujjahid, along with an investigation into the female teacher, Shabana. If found guilty after a thorough investigation, the trio will face dismissal.
The incident adds to recent controversies in the education sector in Rajasthan, including the suspension of teachers for alleged conversions and the introduction of an inquiry into internal marks, which has sparked opposition from teachers' associations. Additionally, a separate tragic incident involved a government school teacher found dead in a library in north-east Delhi.