Kerala School Under Probe After Students Sing RSS-Linked Song, Says Principal

Kerala school students in controversy for singing Kerala principal RSS song probe on Vande Bharat Express

Kerala school controversy at the centre of a controversy after singing a version of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) “gana geetham” (anthem) to celebrate the maiden run of Ernakulam–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express on Saturday. The state government ordered a probe into the incident.

Incident

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had virtually flagged off the Ernakulam–Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express over the weekend. Southern Railway had posted a video on social media a little after the event. In the RSS song investigation clip, some students can be seen singing the RSS song in the new train which had just started its maiden run.

School speaks up

Dinto K. P., the principal of Saraswathi Vidyanikethan Public School in Elamakkara, speaking on the incident, told The Print that “it was just a patriotic song and was sung by children of their own accord.” He also added that it “was not a Kerala students RSS song issue programme organised or instructed by the Southern Railway.”

According to school principal statement, the principal also said that they had written to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Union Railway Minister after the original video was deleted from the Southern Railway’s X (formerly Twitter) handle over the weekend following the controversy. He said he was disappointed with the state’s reaction, asking why there was a probe.

“The state Education Minister ordered a probe into the incident, we don’t understand what is there in a patriotic song to order a probe. If the General Education Department goes ahead with its action, we will be forced to take legal action,” he said.

The school stated that it was only a patriotic song sung by the students, but no politics was involved in the decision.