Madrassa teachers in Assam enjoying Fridays as holiday

GUWAHATI: BJP led Assam government suddenly stumbled upon a fact that High Madrassa teachers in some districts of Assam observe holidays on Friday, despite Sunday being a declared weekly holiday.
Assam education minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday, “Recently during a meeting with education officers I found strange thing that government run High Madrassa in three districts which include Lakhimpur, Naogaon, Morigaon observe holiday on Friday, which is unacceptable.”

He added, “I know that government allows one or one-and-half-hour break to Muslims to offer Namaz on Friday but it is not a holiday. Even when assembly is in session we follow the same practice.”

The education department has instructed that this practice will be discontinued and there will no holiday on Friday as Sunday is the official holiday. The notice says erring headmasters will be suspended.

Sarma said, “There cannot be two laws in this country. In Pakistan and Bangladesh the official holiday is on Friday while in India, United States and Europe Sunday is the weekly holiday.”

Former minister and Congress leader, Siddique Ahmed reacted and said, “Sarma is saying that Assam is not Pakistan or Bangladesh, meaning Muslims are second class citizens in India. Therefore, Assam's Muslim community will boycott sarma."

He added, "Himanta is dividing people on religious lines and pitting one community against the other."

The education minister however added no one will be allowed to dishonour the law. “We will reinforce the law and no religious considerations will be allowed to come in the way of implementation of the law.”