The founding principal of The Somaiya School in Mumbai’s Vidyavihar (Ghatkopar), Parveen Shaikh, said she has been asked to resign after ‘liking’ a series of posts.
On April 24, a Hindutva portal carried an article claiming to expose Shaikh’s “disturbing social media behaviour”. It accused her of being a “Hamas-sympathiser”, “anti-Hindu” and a supporter of “Islamist Umar Khalid” based on posts she had ‘liked’ from her X account.
The school management reached out to her and sought an explanation. She acknowledged ‘liking’ those posts.
“My social media interactions, including tweets, likes and comments, align with our nation’s constitutional principles of secularism and free speech, and they reflect India’s longstanding support for the Palestinian cause. It has come to my attention that the [Hindutva] platform and its affiliates who have raised these allegations may harbour prejudices against these constitutional values. It is a malicious response in furtherance of their biased agenda,” Shaikh said.
Shaikh said, “The management has, subsequent to the publication of the article in a news portal, conveyed to me that this relationship is not tenable and asked me to resign.” She further added, “I am not planning to resign as I have done nothing wrong.”
A spokesperson for The Somaiya School did not confirm or deny that Shaikh has been asked to resign on account of the article. “We are looking into the matter,” the spokesperson said. Shaikh has been with the school for 12 years, of which seven were spent as the head of the school.
Meanwhile, a section of parents have rallied around Shaikh in support and urged the school management to reinstate her.
Pointing out Shaikh’s contribution to the school, Vidya Nair, a parent of a Grade 9 student, said, “She is a great educator and a progressive woman. She is a role model for my daughter. We don’t want to lose her leadership for the betterment of our children. We met the management and expressed our thoughts. We are hoping for the best.”
Another parent, Shilpa Phadke, said, “She has been an outstanding principal and an exceptional educator, a progressive woman, and a compassionate educator. She is respected and trusted by students.”
Phadke pointed out, one of Shaikh’s reformative measures was spearheading the gender-neutral uniform policy, “which was implemented by the school”. “The principal, teachers and the school’s management have a wonderful professional partnership. We hope to see it continue,” she added.
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