Haryana school asks students if parents are engaged in any 'unclean occupation', Congress attacks Khattar govt

Chandigarh: In a controversial move, school students in Haryana have been asked to fill in a 100-pointer admission form giving details like whether their parents are engaged in any "unclean occupation" or suffering from genetic disorders, prompting the opposition to hit out at the Khattar government.

The school students above primary classes have also been asked to mention their along with their parents' Aadhaar numbers, parents' occupation and educational qualification in the admission form. The form also seeks to know "whether parents of students are engaged in unclean occupation, whether they are income tax payees, their religion and caste details, genetic disorder, if any, besides students' bank details".

Commenting on the development, the opposition Congress said the BJP-led state government was indulging in "racial and religious profiling".

Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala in a series of tweets said, "Khattar Govt issues a 100 point Students Admission Form. It is really a Surveillance of Parents/Students Form. "Khattar Govt does it again. Students labelled as 'untouchables' & their parents occupation as 'unclean'. Height of insanity is the kind of pvt info of parents being sought. Calling vocation of parents unclean is absurd," he said.

"Govt, taking a cue from NaMo App, issues a 100 pointer student admission form. Since when has Aadhaar become mandatory for school admission?," he said in another tweet.

Surjewala demanded that the state education department withdraw the order and tender an apology to the parents.