3 arrested for preparing 'objectionable' school textbooks

Three persons associated with a Mumbai-based educational research organisation were today arrested here for allegedly preparing school textbooks with 'objectionable and non-secular' content, police said.
Sources in the Kochi Police said the arrest of three persons from Mumbai-based 'Burooj Realization' was made following its investigation into a case against a school here for allegedly teaching students objectionable content and exhorting them to lay down their lives for Islam.
The accused are allegedly responsible for preparing contents for the controversial textbooks taught at the Peace International School at Thammanam in Kochi, a police official told PTI.
They were arrested from Kochi, the official said. He, however, declined to provide details.

The controversial school in Kochi is run by a trust headed by influential local businessmen. It is not clear if the curriculum was drafted by persons close to controversial preacher Zakir Naik.
Police had earlier registered a case under IPC sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) against the school principal, administrator and three trustees.

The case was registered in October this year on the basis of a report filed by the Ernakulam District Education Officer, stating that "what was being taught was not secular".

Police had said Islamic curriculum was being followed in the school and students were being exhorted to lay down their lives for Islam.
The school has classes from LKG till eighth standard.