Religious minorities in Guj

Why should the Gujarat government gather details of all Muslim students appearing for Board examinations in the State? Muslim students appearing for their Standard 10 and 12 Board examinations are specifically being asked to identify their religion after they say they belong to the minority category. Shockingly, after a student says yes, the online form categorically asks, “Please select”.There are only two options provided. First option is ‘Muslim’. And second option is ‘Others’.Interestingly, Gujarat has at least four other minority communities including Christians, Sikh, Buddhist and the richest and most influential Jain community but the Gujarat government is just keen to know whether a minority community student is a Muslim or not.The Board examinations in Gujarat are conducted by the Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GSHSEB). Every year, 17.5 lakh (approx) students appear for Board examinations.In 2018, as many as 17.14 lakh students wrote their Board exams. It is mandatory for all students to fill up the examination forms online. A lot of poor students without computer and internet access seek help from their schools or mentors to fill up these forms.“The forms are usually filled by the school administration. I came to know after I went to school to fill up my child’s form and saw that they had asked if we belong to the minority. When we clicked on “yes”, it offered two options: “Muslims or Others”. This left me wondering if the data gathered from online forms could be misused for something else. This has raised fear in me,” said the father of a Class 12 Science student who wished to remain anonymous.“I am scared. Before 2002, a similar exercise was initiated by the Gujarat government where every police station was asked to identify Muslim businesses in their locality. My restaurant was singled out and burnt. It was revealed that rioters had used the census collected by the government and police. I am scared for my son now. Why is Gujarat government keen to know if the student is Muslim or not. What is the purpose?” a Muslim restauranteur, whose son is appearing for his 12th Science examinations and is keen to join an IIT, told Mirror, emphasizing that he is really scared that all is not well in Gujarat.School principals of at least two minority schools located in Jamalpur and Danilimda areas of Ahmedabad said that this data collection that singles out Muslims has sent a wrong signal to students.Seema Nermeti, principal of Shama School categorically told Mirror, “This is shocking. The Gujarat government has already faced a lot of criticism for its treatment of Muslims in the recent past.Now, cornering Muslim students like this is the final straw on the camel’s back. If the Board wants to ask students which minority community they belong to, they should seek information from students belonging to other minority communities like Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, and Christians, too. Why just single out Muslims?”Principal of F D School for Girls, Anisa Shaikh, feels that the Board should expand its perspective. The options must have been in this format since the time online system was started, she said, adding, “The forms are usually filled up by clerks in office and we just get printouts filled with all choices. This year is first time that we came to know about it. Is it an effort to gather data of various minorities? In such a case, why have they not offered options for other religious or linguistic minorities as well?”She claimed, “The government and the Board cannot get away by claiming they were unaware of the issue, or that their outsourcing agency goofed up. Such flimsy excuses have become the norm.” Principal Sheikh demanded that existing malady be immediately addressed by the Gujarat government.Achyut Yagnik, honorary secretary of Centre for Social Knowledge and Action – an organisation working for vulnerable communities, believe it is fundamentally a wrong question to ask. “The board should not differentiate between majority and minority, and further differentiate between minority communities.This is insensitive of the board and education minister. The chief minister must look into it and ensure that such a thing is not repeated,” he said.Prof Navdeep Mathur of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, feels this is “scary”. “The Board’s purpose of asking this question is not clear. If it wishes to gather details, it should do so for all religious minorities and other minorities present in India. Gujarat is not a closed state and has presence of students from pockets of India. Why just mark-out Muslims alone?” he asked.Political observer Ghanshyam Shah said, “It is dangerous. By asking such a question, they make students conscious of being a Muslim. Our Constitution talks about secularism and board is making them conscious of their caste and community. This is against the Constitution. This may isolate Muslims. If this is for any scholarship, it is understood but why ask such a question to Board students? Secondly, the then CM and now PM Narendra Modi had informed Sachar Committee that they do not differentiate between majority and minority. And his the government run by his party is differentiating between them.”GSHSEB chairman A J Shah said the same form has been in place since 2013. “I have seen this form in this format for past two years. There are other questions that seeks student’s information including whether s/he is differently abled. So far, nobody has complained to me about details of Muslim students,” he said.However, Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani termed action as “unconstitutional”. “The Constitution of does not allow any discrimination on basis of religion. Moreover, BJP has always been anti-Muslim. This latest subvert action by BJP raises suspicion. The BJP can’t be trusted to put that data to any good, and thus, this gathering of data is also extremely worrisome. Moreover, it is very disgusting that they are reaping such divisive seeds in young minds. This action of the government is extremely disturbing and should be immediately rescinded,” he said.Patidar leader Hardik Patel said, “On one hand, BJP talks about nationalism and, on the other hand, it is show-casing its divisive nature. It is shocking that the BJP government is asking Muslim students to identify their religion. The BJP must treat all citizens equally and not discriminate on the basis of religion. It is the government, not the education department, which is at the helm of such divisive conspiracies.”Meanwhile, despite several attempts, MoS Education (Primary & Higher Education)Vibhavari Dave, Education minister Bhupendra Chudasama as well as Deputy CM Minister Nitin Patel remained unavailable for comment.