‘Violation of rights’: AIMPLB on ‘compulsory’ Vande Mataram in Bengal madrasas

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the West Bengal government's directive making the recitation of all stanzas of Vande Mataram compulsory during morning assemblies in government schools and government-aided madrasas, describing the move as a violation of fundamental rights and India's secular principles.

In a statement, AIMPLB spokesperson S.Q.R. Ilyas said the order compels students to participate in an activity that may conflict with their religious beliefs, thereby infringing constitutional protections guaranteed under Articles 19, 25 and 28(3).

The Board argued that forcing any student to recite a song or text against sincerely held religious convictions runs contrary to both the Constitution and established legal precedent. It cited the Supreme Court's landmark judgment in the Bijoe Emmanuel vs State of Kerala case, which held that citizens cannot be compelled to participate in ceremonies that violate their religious or conscientious beliefs.

According to the AIMPLB, certain stanzas of Vande Mataram contain concepts that many Muslims consider incompatible with the Islamic doctrine of monotheism (Tawhid). Making the song compulsory, it said, amounts to an infringement on the religious identity and constitutional freedoms of Muslim students.

The Board further contended that a secular state should not impose the cultural or religious traditions of one community on another. It noted that since Independence, the recitation of Vande Mataram has never been made mandatory by the Union government and has traditionally been treated as a matter of individual choice and conscience.

Referring to Article 28(3), the AIMPLB pointed out that students attending state-run or state-aided educational institutions cannot be compelled to participate in religious instruction, worship or observances without their consent.

While demanding that the notification be revoked, the Board said that, at the very least, Muslim students should be exempted from its application.

The AIMPLB also urged Muslim students, parents and teachers in West Bengal to remain aware of their constitutional rights and seek legal remedies if they face coercion or pressure to recite Vande Mataram.

The controversy comes amid a broader debate over the balance between cultural practices in educational institutions and constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and individual conscience.

With IANS inputs