Complainant Nilesh Rakshyal (35), a social worker, claimed that the drama performed by the students and shared on social media platforms could disturb the peace in society.

Stacy Pereira | CNN-News18Updated:January 28, 2020, 2:14 PM IST

Bengaluru: The management of a school in Bidar has been slapped with sedition charges after its students performed a drama against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) on Sunday.

Shaheen Education Institute was on Monday booked under sections 124A (sedition), 504 (provoke breach of peace), 505(2) (statements promoting enmity), 153A (promoting communal hatred) and 34 (act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC, while the FIR named the head of the school and its management as accused.

The incident came to light after a video of the performance was uploaded by a Mohamad Yusuf Raheem, a journalist based in Bidar, who has also been named in the FIR. Confirming the FIR, Bidar SP said that the case is being investigated.

CEO of Shaheen Education Institute Thouseef Madikeri said police officers including the deputy superintendent, sub-inspector and others had been visiting the school located at Shapur Gate for the past three days and ‘mentally harassing the students and the staff’.

“Yesterday, they sealed the control room. Today, they have started interrogating the students of classes 4 and 5. It was staged by five-six students in which they took a jibe at PM Modi. Someone made a video and shared on social media. They are accusing us of spreading communal violence and hatred which will create disturbance in society,” he said, adding that school authorities are trying to get bail from a local court.Slide 1 of 4

According to the FIR, the case has been filed by a Neelesh, a social worker in Bidar.

In the video that was shared on social media, a student can be heard saying: “The government is telling Muslims to leave India and go… they are asking us to furnish documents of our parents and grandparents. If we can’t, they say we have to leave.”

Thouseef Madikeri also said that the staff or management of the school had not told the students what to say, but that parents had helped the students stage the drama for the annual day function.

Besides them, one Mohammed Yousuf Rahim has been booked for allegedly sharing the video of the skit on social media.

The complaint stated that minor children of the institute were were made to stage the drama, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a “bad light”. The drama also sent a message that people of one community would have to leave the country if CAA and NRC were brought into force.

Complainant Nilesh Rakshyal (35), a social worker, further claimed that the skit by the students and the way it was shared on social media platforms could disturb the peace in society, and also send out wrong message about the government policies and decisions.

He demanded legal action against Rahim and the school, which is located in Gurunanak Colony in Bidar, Karnataka’s northern most district.

A local report stated that the ABVP staged a protest against the institute and submitted a memorandum to the home minister.