London school accused of religious discrimination after pupil challenged over tilak
London (PTI): A highly rated primary school in north-west London has been accused of religious discrimination after a diaspora advocacy group claimed an eight-year-old pupil was challenged for wearing a tilak on his forehead.
INSIGHT UK claimed in a statement on Monday that the child and his family suffered “significant distress” over the issue at Vicar’s Green Primary School in Wembley, leaving Hindu parents with no option but to remove at least four pupils from the school.
However, the school denied any form of discrimination at its "diverse and inclusive” institution, which has pupils from more than 50 language backgrounds, including a significant number of Hindus.
“The Tilak-Chandlo is not a cosmetic or cultural accessory, it is an integral religious observance for many Hindus,” said an INSIGHT UK spokesperson.
“Preventing a child from practising their faith, or making them feel ashamed or intimidated for doing so, is wholly unacceptable in a modern, multicultural Britain.
“For over 1 billion Hindus worldwide, sacred markings such as the Tilak-Chandlo, Bindi, Tikka, Tripundra etc are integral expressions of faith. To trivialise or mislabel such practices in an educational setting reflects a troubling lack of religious literacy,” the spokesperson said.
Among the reports collated by the group, the school headteacher and governors are said to have displayed a lack of “cultural and religious sensitivity” during attempts at dialogue.
“This was not a good-faith dialogue — it was an imbalance of power, where Hindu religious practices were scrutinised, minimised, and ultimately rejected,” INSIGHT UK claimed.
It has called on the school to review its policies and staff training to ensure compliance with equality and safeguarding laws.
Ealing Council, the local authority in charge of the school rated “outstanding” by the independent Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED), responded to PTI’s inquiry with a statement from a spokesperson for Vicar’s Green Primary School.
“Our longstanding school policy asks pupils not to wear visible skin markings including religious ones. We met with the parents of a pupil who was wearing a Tilak-Chandlo on their forehead to discuss the matter sensitively and sought to understand the reason for it," the school spokesperson stated.
“We fully recognised the family’s religious beliefs and, in a spirit of conciliation, we offered a reasonable compromise by making an exception to our policy so the symbol could be worn on a less prominent part of the body. This was, unfortunately, rejected by the pupil’s parents," the spokesperson said.
The school went on to reference its recent OFSTED inspections as recognising its inclusive environment where children "thrive".
The spokesperson added: “The school’s governing body also thoroughly reviewed the case and wrote to the parents explaining the school's decision in detail and also offered the reasonable adjustments the school had offered, as well as special religious occasions. Unfortunately, the parents did not accept either of these adjustments.
“We have always approached these discussions respectfully, sensitively and thoroughly, which has taken up a considerable amount of time and stress for the school, and its community. As a school, our priority is always the wellbeing of all our children.”
Vicar’s Green Primary School stressed that it values and respects the diverse cultural and religious backgrounds in its community, with its policy designed to “promote cohesion, fairness, equality and a shared sense of belonging while preventing division or disruption within the school community”.
The official UK government classification describes it as a mixed (co-ed) "community school", or a secular state school, that caters to pupils aged between three and eleven.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
