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Going for Hajj? Promise you’ll be a good Indian

An education officer with Thane Municipal Corp took an undertaking from a Hajj-bound teacher to ensure the latter does not indulge in anti-national activities.

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MUMBAI: How would you feel if your boss were to demand a promise of good conduct before granting you leave to go on a pilgrimage?

Outraged? But that is what Lata Sanap, education officer with the Thane Municipal Corporation, did when she received an application from an assistant teacher in a municipal school asking for leave to perform the Hajj. When Nafisa Sheikh (name changed) applied for leave on November 16, 2005, Sanap wrote back demanding that she give an undertaking on Rs20 stamp paper that saying she would not indulge in any anti-national activity while on leave.

Though shocked, Sheikh gave the undertaking because she was afraid of being victimised. But her family is furious. “Nafisa is a simple girl,” said her uncle, who asked not to be named. “She feared she would lose her job or be transferred. That’s why she wrote out the undertaking. Anyone else in her place would have taken this officer to court.”

But Sanap defended her action. “I only wanted to protect my country,” she said. “I wanted to make sure that Sheikh was not misguided by anti-national elements. If I had done anything wrong, she would have complained long ago.”

Sheikh’s wasn’t the only case. Apparently, Sanap made a similar remark on the application of another Muslim teacher. According to a person in the education department office, who did not want to be named, Sanap wrote the remark in the presence of a member of the education board. The member, too, felt the action was offensive.

Advocate Niteen Pradhan said Sanap’s action was “most presumptuous and ridiculous”. He said it could be seen as a breach of Article 14 (equality before law) and Article 21 (protection of life and personal liberty). 

“There has to be some basis, some prior occasion raising suspicion, for getting an undertaking from a citizen,” he said.

“In this case this seems to be just a presumption that any citizen who is going on Hajj is going to indulge in anti-national activities.”

Thane Mayor Rajan Vichare said he did not know of the incident. “No one informed me,” he said. “I will get all the information. Only then can I comment.”

Municipal Commissioner Sanjay Sethi also said he will have to verify the incident before initiating any action.

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