The principal of a private higher secondary school in Goa was suspended after a police complaint alleged that he took a group of Class 11 students to a mosque as part of an initiative to promote communal harmony.
The principal of Keshav Smurthi Higher Secondary School, Shankar Gaonkar, had taken the students to a mosque in Dabolim at the invitation of the Student Islamic Organisation of India as part of their campaign to promote communal harmony.
SIO Zonal President Usman Khan said the incident happened on 09 September. Soon after the images of students visiting the mosque went viral on social media, the Hindu nationalist outfit Vishwa Hindu Parishad filed a police complaint alleging that Gaonkar forced female students to wear headscarves and perform Islamic rituals.
“We have been organising such activity for several years. The ‘Visit Masjid’ program of SIO tries to do just that, bridging the gap between communities and promoting better understanding,” said Khan.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here