After the video of Uttar Pradesh school teacher Tripta Tyagi instructing her students to slap their Muslim classmate went viral, the man who recorded the video — a cousin of the child who was beaten — remarked that such discrimination was wrong. He demanded strict punishment for Tripta Tyagi once the police inquiry is concluded, in an interview with journalist Amit Kumar Saini for Samachar Today. When asked at what point he felt the need to film the video while witnessing the incident, he said, “I felt the need immediately. It felt heavy on my heart. I felt angry but I controlled it. It shouldn't have happened, he’s a little boy.”
In the viral video, Tripta Tyagi, who also owns Neha Public School in Muzaffarnagar’s Khubapur village, was seen urging her students to hit the seven-year-old Muslim boy, who appeared visibly distressed and helpless. She has since been booked under Sections 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), based on a complaint by the child’s parents. These charges are non-cognisable, and the police cannot arrest her without a warrant.
In the video, Tripta Tyagi was also heard saying that Muslim women take their children along when they visit their parents’ homes, disrupting their studies. The cousin who filmed the video said, "This happens with all mothers, it’s not a Hindu or Muslim issue. Singling out Muslim women was a big mistake… I didn’t like her views, and the way she tortured the child.”
Detailed chat with the man (victim student's cousin) who shot the viral UP school video. He explains what happened at Neha Public School and in the aftermath.
— Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) August 27, 2023
This would clarify several doubts, assumptions and speculations. Do watch.
Video credit: @editoramitsaini pic.twitter.com/FzTdKVs3J3
Recounting the events that transpired before and after he filmed the video, the man said that he had gone to the school for some work, and was called upstairs by the teacher Tripta Tyagi when he saw his seven-year-old cousin crying in front of the class. "I initially thought the teacher had hit him [to discipline him], so I didn't mind. But then I saw that other kids in the class were taking turns to slap him and started recording,” he said, adding that he wanted to show it to his uncle, the child’s father, to understand why the boy was being abused at school.
The man, who is heard laughing at the teacher’s remarks against Muslims, said that he only pretended to laugh along and agree with Tripta Tyagi so that she wouldn’t suspect that he was filming the incident. “In case someone had hurt the boy badly in his eye, ear or nose, and caused a serious injury, who would have been responsible for it?" he questioned. He called for a proper inquiry into the incident and maximum punishment applicable in the case for Tripta Tyagi, to ensure that no other teacher ever behaves similarly towards their students.
The Uttar Pradesh Department of Basic Education has ordered the closure of the private school in Muzaffarnagar district amid a pending inquiry. The department has said that the students will be shifted to other private schools nearby.