“Targeted for their religious identity,” say parents of 155 Muslim students detained in Madhya Pradesh
Bhopal: Following the detention of 155 Muslim students and eight teachers by railway authorities in Madhya Pradesh’s Katni on the pretext of “child labour,” parents have alleged anti-Muslim bias, saying the children were targeted due to their religious identity and that authorities delayed their release even after fanukues reached Katni.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the children, aged between six and 15, were travelling from Bihar to schools and madrasas in Maharashtra and Karnataka when they were intercepted on April 11. They were subsequently held in Jabalpur and Katni for nearly two weeks before being sent back to their homes in Bihar’s Seemanchal region on April 25.
At a press conference in Araria, Bihar, parents belonging to Muslim community said that the Government Railway Police acted with communal bias, asserting that the children were singled out because of their religious identity. They further said that the children were traumatised during their stay in shelter homes and that authorities delayed their release even after parents reached Katni.
The families have called for an impartial investigation to fix accountability, demanding compensation for both the children and teachers, along with clear guidelines to prevent similar incidents in the future. They also questioned the rationale behind stopping children from travelling under the supervision of their teachers, terming the action both discriminatory and unjustified. KMS-17S
