Kerala DYFI holds protest march to private school over 'pada puja' ritual

    Alappuzha (Kerala), Jul 14 (PTI) Activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) on Monday took out a protest march to a CBSE school in Mavelikara in this coastal district against a "pada puja" ritual held recently.
    DYFI is the youth outfit of the ruling CPI(M).
    The protesters alleged that children were made to wash the feet of not just teachers but also that of a local BJP leader who attended the ritual at the school, Vivekananda Vidya Peedom, last week.
    The Left activists, including women, tried to jump a barricade placed by the police some meters away from the school.
    They also engaged in a minor scuffle with the law enforcers and raised slogans against the school management and BJP leader Anoop, who is reportedly a ward member of the area. They sought the saffron party leader's resignation from the position.
    However, school principal R Shanthakumar came out justifying the participation of Anoop in the 'pada puja" ritual.
    He said the particular ritual has been carried out at the school for years, and it was the first time the issue has been raised now.
    Anoop participated in the ritual not as a BJP leader but as a representative of the school management, the principal said.
    "The ritual has been performed without any issues in all these years. It is those who made the controversy should explain why it has sparked a row this time," he told a TV channel.
    The principal also made it clear that the institution follows Hindu rituals and students belonging to other communities also join the school, accepting this.
    The protest happened a day after Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar strongly defended the practice of 'guru puja' observed by a section of people, and General Education Minister V Sivankutty objected to it.
    The governor said that offering flowers at the feet of teachers is part of Indian culture. The minister, however, vehemently objected to his statements and accused him of trying to implement the RSS agenda in the state.
    Besides the minister, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan and AICC general secretary K C Venugopal also came out against the ritual held in a number of CBSE schools and the remarks of the Governor.
    Media reports said 'pada puja' ceremonies were held in two CBSE schools under the Bharatheeya Vidyanikethan management in Kasaragod and Mavelikkara on Guru Purnima Day, observed on July 10.
    Minister Sivankutty said that the Director of Public Instruction (DPI) had been directed to seek explanations from the schools.
    "Practices that promote a slave mentality are unacceptable under any circumstances. Education must instill knowledge and self-awareness," he stated.
    The Department of General Education has the authority to act against schools under any syllabus that violates the Right to Education Act and related regulations, he added.
    The ruling CPI(M)'s student wing, Students' Federation of India (SFI) and the Opposition Congress's student outfit, Kerala Students' Union (KSU), also condemned the ritual and demanded action against the school managements.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)