Sharad Pawar-led NCP questions Union minister Smriti Irani's silence over Muzaffarnagar school incident

Mumbai: The Sharad Pawar-led faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday questioned Union minister Smriti Irani's "silence" over the incident in which a teacher in Uttar Pradesh allegedly asked her students to slap a boy from a minority community.

Irani heads the Women and Child Development Ministry.

The party also demanded a severe punishment against the teacher to ensure that such crimes against children do not take place again.

The video shows the teacher of a private school in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar asking Class 2 students to slap their classmate from a minority community. She is also heard passing objectionable remarks against the community. The incident has triggered a nationwide outrage.

"Treating a child like this is a crime that must be punished severely. This act by the teacher will scar that child's life and corrupt the minds of the kids who were forced to hit," NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said in a statement.

Calling the incident incident as "disgusting" and a "bigoted act", he said, "What is sad to know is that our Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani, who is also the minister of the Minority Affairs, has not spoken on this issue yet, despite the fact that this issue is directly related to both her ministries." He asked why Irani was silent over the issues concerning her ministries.

"Acts like the one by this teacher in Muzaffarnagar in UP must be taken seriously by the central and state governments and an example of severe action and punishment must be set to make sure that people like these do not commit crimes against children," he said.