A controversy has erupted after the father of a Muslim boy claimed his son was picked up from school and taken to a RSS camp held in local BJP MP Jagdambika Pal’s school at Siddharth Nagar district between October 10 and 17.

Mahboob Ahmed, in his complaint to the district magistrate — lodged on Tuesday — and the State Minority Commission (SMC), alleged his son Gulzar Ahmed (15) was taken to the event on the pretext that it was an educational camp, and was taught “anti-Muslim ethics” there.

Gulzar is a Class VIII student at a local government junior high school in Uska Bazar town of Siddharth Nagar.

Ahmed said he has decided to withdraw Gulzar and his two other children from the school.

In his complaint to the SMC, Mahboob claimed the local RSS unit took Gulzar to a recent training camp under the fake name Vijay Kumar. He claimed his son had to attend sessions where “anti-Islamic poems and literature” were read out.

RSS District Sah Prachar Pramukh Vipul Singh, however, denied the allegations. “It seems that local Muslim leaders had sent the boy to the camp with a changed name with some wrong intentions. As he failed to execute the same, they are now trying to malign the RSS’s image. Gulzar had himself filled his admission form as Vijay Kumar,” he said.

When contacted, Mahboob said Gulzar had attended the RSS camp at Surya Mahavidyalaya, 35 km from Uska Bazar. Surya Mahavidyalaya is owned by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal.

Mahboob, a labourer, said he had given Gulzar Rs 450 when he told him he was going for an education tour. “But when he returned a week later, he was wearing a khaki half pant, white shirt, a black cap and had a danda. The RSS people had taken my son to the training camp, where he was asked to introduce himself as Vijay Kumar,” he claimed.

School principal Shree Ram Mishra said he was not aware how the student ended up at the RSS camp.

Circle Officer (City) Mohammad Akmal Khan, who conducted an inquiry, said Gulzar has admitted he did not know it was an RSS camp, but wanted to go there as three of his friends were attending it. “His friends told him Muslims were not allowed in the camp and so he changed his name,” Khan said.

SMC spokesperson Shafi Azmi said, “The commission has sought a report from the district administration and action will be taken if the Muslim family was pressured to change their statement.”

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