On Monday, August 15, the country celebrated Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav; Tirangas were adorning the terraces and balconies of the common people, and netizens were busy sharing the visuals of these lively gestures. Amidst this, a disturbing video surfaced on different social media platforms and left netizens shocked.

This video was recorded during the Independence Day celebration at Lucknow’s Shishu Bharti Vidyalaya; the visuals that had gone viral in minutes were allegedly from a play staged at the school. In the visuals, one student was dressed as Bharat Mata with a crown on her head. It showed two students dressed in Islamic attire removed the crown of “Bharat Mata”, wrapped her in a hijab, and took her to perform Namaz.

While HinduPost has not independently verified the video, the skit triggered immense outrage among people on social media. Some netizens have also urged the police to take immediate action against the institution. The concerned school is located in Malviya Nagar Police Station’s Bazarkhala area. Following the massive social media outrage, police were compelled to take cognizance of the matter.

In a statement about the said video, the Uttar Pradesh Police acknowledged that an inquiry into the video had established that the incident occurred at the Shishu Bharatiya Vidyalaya. The statement issued by UP Police confirms, “A video has been found on social media in which a girl is depicted as Bharat Mata and she is shown performing Namaz after her crown is removed. Upon investigation, it was found that the video was shot at Shishu Bharatiya Vidyalaya in the Bazarkhala locality of Malviya Nagar Thana.”

The police further added, “In this respect, the school administration was contacted and it was learned that children in the school performed a play where it was portrayed that violence should not be done in the name of religion and communal harmony should be maintained. The viral video is a trimmed part of the whole play and action is being taken against the originator of the video.”