VARANASI: A social activist wrote a letter to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath alleging that the students of an inter college at Belthara Road area in Ballia district were punished for chanting ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. The principal, however, refuted the allegation and said that it was baseless and an attempt to malign school’s reputation.The district magistrate on Saturday said that the matter has come to his knowledge, and the district inspector of schools has been asked to investigate it. If the allegation is found true stern action would be taken against the school authorities, said the DM.In his letter (dated October 5, 2018) Shiv Kumar Jaiswal of the social organisation Manas Mandir urged the CM to look into the matter and derecognise the Gandhi Mohammad Ali Memorial Inter College for such an act. He said that during a visit to the college on Friday, many students and a teacher confirmed the allegation. “We were told that a student was punished when he mistakenly chanted Bharat Mata ki Jai after the assembly,” said Jaiswal, adding that the video recording of the statements of students and a teacher were also uploaded on social media.Disapproving the allegation, principal Majid Nasir said that there was no restriction on chanting Bharat Mata ki Jai nor any student had been punished. “In fact we take active part in social campaigns on occasions like Gandhi Jayanti and others and encourage students to chant Bharat Mata,” he said, adding that the allegation was completely baseless.Ballia DM Bhawani Singh Khangaraot said the matter came to his knowledge, and the DIOS had been asked to look into it. "Stern action will be taken against the principal, teacher and management if it is found true,” said the DM.

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