Mancherial: A new tradition is taking root in the newly-created Mancherial district. District education officer M. Abdul Rasheed has issued a circular instructing state-run and private schools in the district to keep a copy of the Indian Constitution and a photo of B.R. Ambedkar in the Republic Day celebrations on January 26.
The circular was issued following a representation from ‘Dalit Shakti’ organisation.
Mr Abdul Rasheed, in his circular to all headmasters and principals, said that if a copy of the Constitution was not available in the market, they must download the first and last page from the Internet and keep them besides Gandhiji’s portrait at the celebrations. Traditionally, a portrait of Mahatma Gandhi is kept during such celebrations.
The circular warned that if anybody failed to follow the instructions, it would be deemed a serious breach of rules.
The circular instructed all heads of institutions and all managements to purchase a copy of the Constitution from the available funds. Every school must have a copy in its library, it said.
Referring to the order, Dalit Rights activist and practicing lawyer in the High Court , Karthik Navayan Battula posted on social networking site saying that ‘Indians habituated to celebrate the day, when Constitution came into effect without putting the photo of the Constitution maker’.
He wrote, “It took so much time to see an order like this. It should be implemented across India.”
