Police in India are looking into a video in which a teacher instructs her students to hit a Muslim classmate who is seven years old.
The child is seen crying while being smacked, apparently for performing his times tables incorrectly.
The social media sensation has sparked widespread outrage and censure.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of India’s opposition, accused the administration of inciting religious intolerance.
The incident took place on Thursday at a private school in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
“Why are you slapping him around so softly? As the boy stands there sobbing, the teacher is heard instructing the kids, “Hit him hard.”
“Begin striking him about the waist… Hit him on the waist instead; his face is becoming red,” she continued.
Indian authorities declared they will act after confirming the authenticity of the footage.
The victim’s father removed him from school and reported the incident to Muzaffarnagar district police. He didn’t file any charges, though.
Rights organizations have cautioned that since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, hate crimes and violence against India’s sizable Muslim minority have grown.
His Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been in power in Uttar Pradesh since 2017.
Mr. Gandhi said that the party was responsible for the nationwide religious unrest in India.
He wrote on the social networking site X, now known as Twitter, “sowing the poison of discrimination in the minds of innocent children, turning a holy place like school into a marketplace of hatred.”
“This is the same kerosene that the BJP has been spreading that has lit India on fire in every direction.”
Mr. Modi stated to media in June that there was “absolutely no space for discrimination” in India while on a visit to the US.
BBC
