New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sent notices to Madhya Pradesh government officials and the management of a missionary school in the state’s Guna district over objections raised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) – the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – over a fancy dress performance by a Class I student at the missionary school, reported New Indian Express.Earlier, the ABVP had demanded a public apology over the fancy-dress competition in which the Class I student appeared with a cloth tied over her mouth and a placard reading, “Unemployment and Corruption: Present, Democracy: Absent.”The placard had listed 10 issues including unemployment, hatred, corruption, terrorism, inflation, poverty, vote theft, paper leaks and scams as “present”, while democracy was marked “absent”.The presentation used a roll call to comment on governance and public issues. The performance was titled Sarkar ki Pathshala (Government’s Schoolhouse).ABVP workers had also submitted a memorandum after visiting the Christ Senior Secondary School in Guna and set a 72-hour deadline for an apology.The New Indian Express report cited ABVP worker Divyansh Bakshi who alleged that children had been deliberately used to play politics and described the performance as reflecting an “urban naxal” mindset. Bakshi also demanded an apology from the girl’s parents.After the controversy erupted, a bench headed by NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo took cognisance of the matter, under Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 and notices were issued by the NHRC to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Madhya Pradesh government’s principal secretary (school education), the Guna district collector, the Guna district education officer and the school’s missionary management, reported New Indian Express.The school’s principal Babu John has said that the incident was being taken seriously, the class teacher has been issued a notice and a written explanation went to the district education officer.However, the newspaper cited district education officer Samar Singh Rathore as saying that no such explanation had reached his office. Rathore said a committee would be formed and action would be taken based on its findings.