In the wake of a viral video showing a teacher allegedly instructing her students in Uttar Pradesh to slap a boy from a minority community, Kerala’s Education Minister, V Sivankutty, voiced concern over the incident, emphasizing its potential to establish a worrisome precedent for vulnerable young minds.

The minister highlighted the significant role that educators play in the lives of children and students, acting as sources of guidance and inspiration. He strongly advocated for stringent actions to be taken against those accountable for propagating such divisive tendencies and harmful actions.

The video, which has gained extensive attention on social media, appears to capture a teacher instructing her students to physically reprimand a boy for what seems to be incomplete homework. The teacher is heard using derogatory terms and making objectionable remarks about the boy’s community.

Sivankutty conveyed his apprehensions about the incident to Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, through a letter issued on Sunday. He expressed concern not only about the potential disruption of the student community’s harmony but also about the undermining of the collective efforts of educators nationwide.

In his communication, the leader of the Left party called for decisive measures to be taken against those fostering divisive actions within an educational institution.

Sivankutty underscored, “Such actions not only contradict the values of secularism and tolerance that our great nation upholds, but also establish a perilous precedent for young and impressionable minds who rely on their educators for guidance and motivation.”

He further urged the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh to ensure the well-being and emotional security of the affected students and to convey an unmistakable message that such conduct will not be tolerated in society, especially within the sanctified confines of educational establishments.

Also read: Uttar Pradesh: Teacher asks students to slap Muslim boy in class, sparks row