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V Sivankutty, the General Education Minister of the state, has ordered a probe following the Gana Geetham row in Kerala, where school students performed a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) anthem during the inauguration of the Ernakulam–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express. The Director of General Education has been instructed to conduct a detailed investigation and submit a report on Sunday, November 9.
Describing the incident as extremely serious, the minister said, using children for the communal or political agendas of any organisation is a blatant violation of constitutional principles and deserves strong condemnation. “There will be absolutely no compromise in ensuring secular education for our children,” the minister said.
The incident occurred on Saturday, November 8, during the official launch of Kerala’s third Vande Bharat train, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off virtually. Later, Southern Railway’s official X handle shared a video showing school students singing the Gana Geetham while travelling in the coach. The post was deleted a few hours later following online criticism, however it was shared again after some time.
The students are from the Saraswathi Vidyanikethan, a CBSE-affiliated school run by Rashtra Dharma Parishad, a registered charitable trust in Kochi. The trust comes under Bharatheeya Vidyanikethan, which is the Kerala Chapter of Vidya Bharathi, an education wing of RSS.
Dinto, the principal of the school, said the students performed a “patriotic song” that embodies unity and diversity. “Twenty students and two teachers from our school attended the event. The students performed the song after the media asked them; initially, they performed Vande Mataram. Later, a media person again asked them to sing a Malayalam song. So, they performed,” he said.
Dinto also said, no one specifically asked or taught them the song and no political party was involved in this. “Just because RSS recited this song, it doesn't mean that no one else can sing this patriotic song,” he said.
Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condemned the incident and called it “a gross violation of constitutional principles and secular values.”