BIDAR: In a major development with regard to staging a play against Citizenship Act, NPR and NRC, Bidar Police have arrested the headmistress of Shaheen Urdu Medium Primary School, Farida Begum, and Navida, the mother of a student who played a role in the controversial play.
Speaking with TNIE, Bidar SP Sreedhara T confirmed the arrest of Farida Begum and Navida, and said the accused were remanded to judicial custody on Thursday.
Sreedhara said that based on the complaint by social activist Neelesh Rakshal, the police filed an FIR under sedition charges, initially against the headmistress and management of the school on Saturday. He said that the police have questioned about 50 people, including the members of the management committee of Shaheen Urdu Medium Primary School, staff of the school, audience, parents and students. Based on the statements and evidence, the headmistress and the parent have been arrested.
The SP said that as per the statements and evidence collected, they came to know that the headmistress played a major role in organising the controversial play. The students practised the drama for a week and the headmistress knew about its script containing controversial dialogues against the Prime Minister and senior BJP leaders.
Considering this, she has been booked for creating communal disharmony and abetting sections. The SP said that when a dialogue of slapping the Prime Minister was said on the stage, Navida gave her chappals to the child, to be used while saying the dialogue. She has been arrested for abetting.
It may be recalled here that the children of Shaheen Urdu Medium School played the controversial drama on the school day on January 21. Deputy Superintendent of Police Basaveshwara Hira is investigating the case, which is registered at New Town Police Station.