HC asks for action

The High Court yesterday asked the government to take legal action against the headmaster and two officials of a school in Sylhet for hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus by offering beef at a school function.
The authorities of Agragami Girls School and College in Sylhet allegedly distributed beef in the name of mutton to its present and ex-students during the institution's 108th founding anniversary programme on December 25 last year.
Responding to a writ petition, the court also asked the government to submit a report before it by January 16 on the steps it has taken against the trio.
The court also issued a rule upon the government to explain why the headmaster of the institution, whose identity could not be ascertained, and Dr Shaila Khatun, convener of the anniversary celebration committee, and its member secretary Nazma Begum should not be prosecuted for hurting religious sentiments by serving beef to Hindu participants of the programme.
Amit Das Gupta, a Supreme Court lawyer, filed the writ petition with the HC for taking action against the persons responsible yesterday after a national daily on December 28 last year published a report on the incident of beef being offered in the name of mutton.