Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad workers on Wednesday protested the use of a Pakistani flag in a play performed by kindergarten students on Independence Day at a school in Madhya Pradesh’s Ratlam district, reported The Hindu.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad is the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh – the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
School director Deepak Panth told The Times of India that a part of an original seven-minute-long video had been cropped and shared on social media.
“The play was intended to educate the children about India’s struggle for Independence, including Partition,” Panth said. “The Pakistani flag was used as part of a historical scene. The scene depicting Partition required the presence of both flags. Someone cropped that portion from the original video and shared it on social media. It got misinterpreted.”
The Times of India reported that the play had also featured a British flag.
In a video of the play that circulated online, a group of children could be seen on stage depicting India’s freedom struggle, reported The Hindu. One child could also be seen holding up a Pakistani flag while a narrator talks about the subsequent partition of India.
On Wednesday, members of the Hindutva group protested outside the Ratlam collector’s office and blocked the Mhow-Neemuch highway in the district, The Hindu reported quoting unidentified police officials.
The workers demanded action against the school administration and the registration of a first information report, the police officials added.
“We have heard their concerns and will take any action after gathering the relevant evidence and seeing the video,” Additional Superintendent of Police Rakesh Khaka said. “We will also take statements from school administration.”
In response to the protests, the school deleted the original seven-minute video of the play it had shared on social media.
“In the context of news on social media regarding the short drama organised on the school premises on the occasion of Independence Day, it should be known that in the said programme, only a small portion of the story of India’s independence was staged,” the statement read, according to The Hindu. “We, however, regret it if for some reason anyone’s sentiments have been hurt due to any scene.”
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