Saffronisation of education: Madras HC issues notice to HRD ministry
The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Thursday ordered notices to the secretary to Union human resources development ministry, Tamil Nadu chief secretary and state director general of police on a public interest litigation that sought a direction to the district collectors “not to interfere with the rights of minorities.”
MADURAI: The Madurai bench of the Madras high court on Thursday ordered notices to the secretary to Union human resources development ministry, Tamil Nadu chief secretary and state director general of police on a public interest litigation that sought a direction to the district collectors “not to interfere with the rights of minorities.”

In his PIL, Madurai-based advocate and Pudhiya Thamilagam state youth wing secretary S Baskar Mathuram said the management of a private school at Palakarai in Trichy forced around Muslim students, who were on Ramadan fasting, to take Nilavembu Kasayam (wild turmeric extract) on June 22.

In another incident, Muslim girls at AVC College in Thanjavur had been forced to remove bhurkhas, he said.

“This is nothing but a clandestine move by the ministry of human resource development to saffronise education,” he charged.

He also said the derecognition of the Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle at IIT Madras and making yoga compulsory at all central government educational institutions were other examples of saffronisation of education.

The petitioner wanted the court to give a direction to the district collectors “not to interfere with the rights of minorities.”

When the matter came up for admission, the division bench ordered notices to the MHRD secretary, state’s chief secretary and director general of police, and adjourned the matter.

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