Political sparring over ‘narcotic jihad’ sermon intensifies
The Hindu
Satheesan alleges conspiracy to destroy communal amity, seeks police probe
Political sparring over Pala Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt’s controversial sermon on ‘narcotic jihad’ intensified on Monday. In an open letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan expressed deep worry over what he termed as a well-entrenched “covert and overt” bid to destroy communal amity in Kerala. Without directly referring to the prelate’s speech about an active Islamist plot to entrap Catholic and non-Muslim youth with addictive narcotic drugs, Mr. Satheesan demanded a police investigation into the “attempt to stoke up communal enmity”.Several principals of government and private schools in Delhi on Tuesday said the Directorate of Education (DoE) circular from a day earlier, directing schools to conduct classes in ‘hybrid’ mode, had caused confusion regarding day-to-day operations as they did not know how many students would return to school from Wednesday and how would teachers instruct in two modes — online and in person — at once. The DoE circular on Monday had also stated that the option to “exercise online mode of education, wherever available, shall vest with the students and their guardians”. Several schoolteachers also expressed confusion regarding the DoE order. A government schoolteacher said he was unsure of how to cope with the resumption of physical classes, given that the order directing government offices to ensure that 50% of the employees work from home is still in place. On Monday, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) had, on the orders of the Supreme Court, directed schools in Delhi-NCR to shift classes to the hybrid mode, following which the DoE had issued the circular. The court had urged the Centre’s pollution watchdog to consider restarting physical classes due to many students missing out on the mid-day meals and lacking the necessary means to attend classes online. The CAQM had, on November 20, asked schools in Delhi-NCR to shift to the online mode of teaching.