Professors, student booked for allegedly forcing students to offer Eid namaz during NSS camp

A complaint by students, alleging that they were forced to offer Eid namaz during a National Service Scheme (NSS) camp, led to seven professors and a student from Guru Ghasidas Central University in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur district being booked on charges of hurting religious sentiments, reported The Indian Express.

The incident allegedly took place on March 31 during a week-long NSS camp held in Shivtarai village from March 26 to April 1, and according to the complaint lodged by some students, they were made to offer namaz without their consent.

As per the report, the camp included activities such as yoga, but on the day of Eid, some Muslim students were offering namaz on the school ground and others were also asked to join, leading to objections from some participants.

The complainants, accompanied by members of a right-wing group, approached the police, and a case was subsequently registered against seven professors, including the NSS coordinator, and a student who was acting as the team leader, according to The Indian Express.

The FIR, initially lodged at Koni police station and later transferred to Kota police station, invoked multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including promoting enmity between groups, imputations prejudicial to national integration, deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings, uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious sentiments, and unlawful assembly.

Kota police have confirmed that a probe has been initiated into the allegations, while university officials stated that they had not yet received a copy of the FIR and had only come to know about the development through the media.