Muslim boy slapping row: SC slams UP over non-compliance of order
New Delhi, Nov 10: The Supreme Court castigated the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday for not complying with its order to depute an agency for counselling the Muslim boy and his classmates who were allegedly instructed by their school teacher to slap him for not completing his homework.
The woman teacher of a school in Muzaffarnagar district has also been accused of making communal slur on the victim boy.
Observing that there was "total non-compliance" with its order by the state government, a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Pankaj Mithal directed the principal secretary of the state's school education department to remain present virtually during the next hearing to avoid any strong action by the court.
The top court appointed the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai to suggest the mode and manner of counselling of the child and his classmates involved in the incident.
"After having heard the counsel for the parties, we are of the view that the Uttar Pradesh government, and in particular the education department, has not complied with various orders passed by this court from time to time. There is no proper counselling conducted for the victim child and the other children involved in the incident.
"To say the least, the approach of the state government as seen from the affidavits filed regarding providing counselling to the children is shocking. We therefore appoint Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai to suggest the mode and manner of extending counselling to the child and other children. TISS will also suggest the names of expert child counsellors available in the state who can extend counselling under the supervision of TISS," the bench ordered.
The apex court directed the UP government to provide all infrastructural assistance and support to TISS, and ordered it to submit a report before December 11, the next date of hearing.
"We direct the Principal Secretary of Education Department to remain personally present to avoid any strong action by the court. We hope he will personally look into the matter and see that directions are complied with," the bench said.
The Muzaffarnagar Police had registered a case against the teacher for allegedly making communal remarks against the Muslim boy and instructing his classmates to slap him. The school was also served a notice by the state's education department.
The teacher was booked after a video showed her purportedly asking students to slap the Class 2 boy in Khubbapur village and also making a communal remark.
The top court had on November 6 asked the Uttar Pradesh government to facilitate the admission of the boy to a private school.
It was hearing a plea filed by Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, seeking speedy investigation in the case.
On October 30, the top court had directed the Uttar Pradesh government to immediately decide on granting sanction to prosecute the school teacher.
The top court had referred to the assertions made in the affidavit filed by the victim's father that the child was "severely traumatised" and asked Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj to take instructions on the availability of an expert agency like NIMHANS and TISS, which could go to the victim's village and counsel him and other school children.
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Passenger slapped during panic attack on IndiGo flight; Goes missing after landing, family seeks ans
Mumbai/Kolkata/Silchar: A shocking incident aboard IndiGo flight 6E138 from Mumbai to Kolkata has gone viral, sparking outrage after a video emerged showing a man being slapped mid-flight while reportedly suffering a panic attack. The victim, identified as Hossain Ahmed Mazumdar from Assam, has since gone missing, and his family is seeking urgent answers.
The video, widely circulated on social media, shows Hossain in visible distress, attempting to leave his seat and reportedly requesting to deboard. As flight attendants tried to calm him down, another passenger suddenly approached and slapped him. The incident triggered immediate protest from fellow travellers.
A young man suffers a panic attack, his co passenger slaps him. Indigo airlines says “All appropriate regulatory agencies have been duly informed, in line with protocol.”
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) August 1, 2025
This is a criminal case and the man needs to be on a No Fly List @DGCAIndia pic.twitter.com/dY1gQC6ze0
Hossain, a gym trainer based in Mumbai, was en route to his hometown Katigorah in Cachar district via a connecting flight from Kolkata to Silchar. However, he never boarded the Silchar flight, and his mobile phone remains unreachable. His family, who had gathered at the Silchar airport, are now in distress. Zubairul Islam Mazumdar, a relative, said, “We have no idea where he is. We’ve contacted the police and airport authorities but haven’t received any concrete information.” His father, Abdul Mannan Mazumdar, who is undergoing cancer treatment, said tearfully, “He was our only hope. Now we don’t even know if he’s safe.” In a statement issued on August 1, IndiGo Airlines said: “We are aware of an incident involving a physical altercation on board one of our flights. Such unruly behaviour is completely unacceptable, and we strongly condemn any actions that compromise the safety and dignity of our passengers and crew. Our crew acted in accordance with established procedures. The individual identified as unruly was handed over to the security authorities upon arrival. Regulatory agencies have been informed as per protocol.”
We are aware of an incident involving a physical altercation on board one of our flights. Such unruly behaviour is completely unacceptable and we strongly condemn any actions that compromise the safety and dignity of our passengers and crew.
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) August 1, 2025
Our crew acted in accordance with…
However, the airline's statement has been criticised for failing to clarify what happened to Hossain after the incident, whether he received medical help, was detained, or was allowed to continue his journey.
Weak kneed response from @IndiGo6E . Has the man who got physical with a fellow passenger been put on a no-fly list? Has Indigo followed up on its complaint at point of disembarkation? If the passenger was handed over to the @CISFAirport were charges pressed? pic.twitter.com/qXMnfiBbFE
— SANJAY HEGDE (@sanjayuvacha) August 1, 2025
The video triggered widespread anger on social media, with many users interpreting the slap as a possible hate-driven act. However, aviation journalist Jagriti Chandra of The Hindu offered a clarification on X, stating: “The passenger who assaulted a co-passenger aboard IndiGo flight was handed over to law enforcement agencies for unruly conduct. Incident occurred after one passenger was feeling uncomfortable in the flight and wanted to deboard. Both belong to the same religious community.”
The passenger who assaulted a co-passenger aboard IndiGo flight handed over to law enforcement agencies for unruly conduct. Incident after one passenger was feeling uncomfortable in the flight and wanted to de board.
— Jagriti Chandra (@jagritichandra) August 1, 2025
Both belong to the same religious community.
Incident on… https://t.co/f0QPXG5hxG
Despite this clarification, concerns remain about the airline's handling of a visibly distressed passenger, particularly in the context of mental health. Unverified posts circulating on social media claim that Hossain was later found, though there has been no official confirmation from authorities or the airline.
Alhamdulillah! Hussain Ahmed Mazumder, who was assaulted on an IndiGo flight while returning from Mumbai to Silchar and went missing, has now been found safe in Kolkata.
— Munir (@tapadar_1314) August 1, 2025
He is stable and in contact with his family. pic.twitter.com/MEGSGzHTk7
