Principal arrested for deleting Ganesh Chaturthi post from Kota school's WhatsApp group

NEW DELHI: A government school principal was arrested here after he allegedly deleted Ganesh Chaturthi greetings posted on the school WhatsApp group, which triggered protests by people of the village, officials said on Sunday. Villagers held demonstrations outside the school, demanding the removal of Shafi Mohammed Ansari, principal of government senior higher secondary school at Laturi village, they said.

The principal allegedly removed posts that had a picture of Lord Ganesh from a school WhatsApp group. Parents and teachers are part of the group, DSP Narendra Nadar said. SHO at Bapawar Police Station Uttam Singh said Ansari was arrested for disturbing communal harmony. He was granted bail and released later in the evening, the officer said. The situation in the village remained normal and peaceful, the SHO said.

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According to police, a man posted a Ganesh Chaturthi greetings message on the WhatsApp group, which the principal deleted. The group is named School Management Development Committee or SMDC, the SHO said. Around two hours later, a school teacher also uploaded a Ganesh Chaturthi greeting in the same group and Ansari allegedly deleted the post again, police said.

After this, some villagers gathered outside the school, held demonstrations against the principal and demanded his removal. Police rushed to the spot on getting information about the incident, the SHO said. Police arrested the school principal for alleged breach of communal harmony and initiated proceedings under Section 127 of Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) against him, he said. He added that Ansari was granted bail and later released on the same day.