Speaking to Indian Express, Bhavnagar DEO Hitendrasinh D Padheriya said, “There are Muslim teachers in the school who also helped in the preparation of the cultural programme. The factual report submitted states there was no intentional motive other than celebration of Operation Sindoor.”The District Education Officer (DEO) has given a clean chit to Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Prathmik Shala number 51 in Kumbharwada area of Bhavnagar of Gujarat for allegedly depicting burqa-clad girls as terrorists in a play staged during the Independence Day celebrations on the school campus on August 15, based on a report submitted by Municipal School Board Administrative Officer stating that it was “completely unintentional” and “without any malicious intent to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments or harm communal harmony.”According to the factual report submitted by Bhavnagar Municipal School Board Administrative Officer (AO) Munjal Badmaliya, the play was conceptualised by students based on a similar work on YouTube. The attire of the characters in the play was also decided by the students, the report, backed by statements from teachers and parents, said.Following a representation received from a local social organisation ‘Bandharan Bachav Samiti Bhavnagar’ against the depiction of burqa-clad girls as ‘terrorists’ during Independence Day cultural programme at the municipal corporation school on August 15, Bhavnagar DEO Hitendrasinh D Padheriya had issued a notice, seeking a factual report from the administrative officer.In his report submitted to the DEO on August 25, Bhavnagar Municipal School Board Administrative Officer (AO) Munjal Badmaliya said: “It has been found that in the cultural work “Operation Sindoor” presented on the occasion of Independence Day on August 15, 2025, in school number 51, the school principal, teachers and students did not present the work with any malicious intent to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments or harm communal harmony. However, the matter is being taken seriously, the office here has urged the employees working in school number 51 not to organise any programme that hurts anyone’s religious sentiments (in future).”Badmaliya told The Indian Express that nobody forced students to wear burqas in the play and that it was their decision.“The students decided to wear burqas in the play after watching a similar video on YouTube. It has come out that nothing was intentional and nobody forced students to wear burqas and it was all part of activities under celebration of Operation Sindoor. The school also has a male and a female Muslim teachers, whose statements were also recorded. They said they did not feel any discrimination at the school. Similar feedback was shared by the parents also. Muslim students in the school wear burqas on Fridays, nobody stops them,” Badmaliya told ‘The Indian Express’.The all-girls school in Kumbharwada, with an enrollment of more than 600 students, came under the spotlight after videos of the cultural programme depicting two burqa-clad girls as “terrorists” appeared on social media.Story continues below this ad“According to teacher Vinodbhai Ladhwa of school number 51, in the cultural programme organised on the occasion of Independence Day celebration on August 15, 2025, the work on “Operation Sindoor” was performed by the girls studying in Class VII and they staged a play with the help of YouTube in a short time. The dressing was chosen by the students. Since there was no army dress, it was made available at the school level,” the report said.“We had no intention to hurt the feelings of any religion or sect. Our intention was only to show the grand success of Operation Sindoor. However, if this work hurts the feelings of any religion or sect, we request forgiveness and express our regret. And we have decided to be careful in this matter in the future,” the school said, according to the report.This was echoed by a teacher at the school, Darshanaben Gohil. “The girls made the play in just 2 days. We did not have any discussion with the students regarding their attire,” Gohil said.School Principal Rajendra Kumar Dave said that in view of the appeal made by the District Collector for celebrating ‘Operation Sindoor’, various programmes were organised in the school including postcard writing, rangoli and painting competitions. “In accordance with this, class VII teacher Vinodbhai Ladhwa made a presentation to me to present “Operation Sindoor” in a drama form and I agreed,” he stated, according to the report.Story continues below this adFurther adding that in the previous programmes held at the school, no works that hurt the sentiments of any religion or sect were shown, the principal stated that other teachers at the school and many parents of students have submitted statements stating that there is no discrimination of any kind at the school.Speaking to Indian Express, Bhavnagar DEO Hitendrasinh D Padheriya said, “There are Muslim teachers in the school who also helped in the preparation of the cultural programme. The factual report submitted states there was no intentional motive other than celebration of Operation Sindoor.” Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:ahmedabad