Kanpur, August 03, 2022 (PPI-OT):The directors of a private school have been booked by the India police for holding the recitation of Islamic prayers – as part of multi-faith worship – in Kanpur city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

The police booked the directors of the Florets International School in Kanpur following a complaint and protest by Hindutva groups including Vishwa Hindu Parishad over the recitation of Islamic prayers of the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2021. The police invoked various sections of Indian Penal Code and the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2021 against the school management.

Assistant Commissioner Police (ACP), Nishank Sharma, told the media that an investigation has been initiated in the case.

The complaint by Hindutva group states that “an attempt is being made by the school to pave way for religious conversion of the students.” The school is carrying out “Shiksha (Education) Jihad” as students are being made to recite an Islamic prayer, it said.

The complaint against the school also demands that the school should be sealed along with its other branches.

The prayer book has prayers pertaining to multiple faiths, including the Gayatri Mantra, Sanchi Vaani and a pledge about belonging in India, Indian media reported.

The multi-faith prayers had been part of the morning assembly since the school’s founding in 2003 but following the objections raised by some parents to the presence of Islamic prayers, the school authorities have decided to only recite the Indian anthem, said school principal Shradha Sharma.

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