Ultra-Orthodox Protests Turn Chaotic As Israel Ends Long-Standing Military Draft Exemptions
At the launch of the book 'Whither India-Pakistan Relations Today? Can They Ever Be Good Neighbours?', Congress MP Shashi Tharoor praised Operation Sindoor, calling it a decisive response to cross-border terror. He said India's strikes—"not Mr. Trump"—prompted Pakistan to request a ceasefire in May. Tharoor revealed he had written an op-ed days after the Pahalgam attack suggesting such action, and expressed surprise that the government followed the same course. He said India's interception of missiles aimed at Delhi on May 10 showed strength. With Balakot and now Sindoor, Tharoor said India has shown it won't tolerate terror on its soil.
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When we first approached the school, they said they had no idea that the skit involved this kind of a dress up and thematic idea. Then they said that the children decided everything about the skit – from theme to costumes; they put the whole blame on students, thinking that no one would drag students to the police.' Jeja said that it was only because of the anger and efforts of the community that a notice was sent to Bhavnagar Municipal School Board administrative officer (AO) Munjal Badmaliya by district education officer (DEO) Hitendrasinh D Padheriya, who sought details of the Independence Day programme and questioned the issues raised regarding the skit at the school. He added, 'Why were burqa-clad female students made to assume the role of terrorists. At an all-girls school, Col. Sofiya Qureshi must be seen as an example of patriotism and bravado. But the staff chose to identify terrorists with burqas.' The school has more than 600 girl students. It came under scanner after videos of the I-Day programme appeared on social media. While the school returned to routine functioning subsequently, Muslim parents are unhappy to be sending their girls to the school. There is silence on the premises, one that does not signify discipline and focus, but regret. Rajubhai Dave, the principal at the school, has been smothered with parents' questions, allegations and accusations. The teaching staff and administration have been in panic since the parents and the Samiti wrote to the DEO, who has put the school under watch. The Bandharan Bachao Samiti speaks to Bhavnagar DEO regarding the school's Independence Day skit. Photo: By arrangement When The Wire reached out to Dave, he accepted that the skit had, in fact, happened exactly the way the locals are alleging. However, he said that the school administration had no information about it. When asked about why burqa was chosen to depict terrorists, Dave said that the concerned teacher chose the colour 'black' to depict them. However, when The Wire inquired as to why the students could not have worn other kinds of black costumes, with black masks etc, Dave said, 'We made a mistake, we shouldn't have let this happen.' In 2023, a video of students from Pearl School, a private school in Kutch district's Mundra town, had gone viral. In the video, the students were seen performing a skit wearing skull caps to depict the celebration of the Eid-al-Adha. In the video, students could also be seen performing namaz with some covering their heads with handkerchiefs. Female students stood in prayer. The Wire had reported that the videos caused outrage among some locals, who alleged that Islam was being 'imposed' on Hindu students through such skits and that the video 'hurt' Hindu sentiments. Subsequently, the school's principal, Priti Vaswani, was suspended. *Name changed to protect identity This article went live on August twenty-first, two thousand twenty five, at nineteen minutes past four in the afternoon. The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments. Advertisement
