A primary school teacher from Abdullahpur in Bihar was allegedly thrashed by the locals on Wednesday after he refused to say ‘Vande Mataram’ during a flag hoisting ceremony on Republic Day.

The man, identified as Afzal Hussain, justified his stance stating that uttering the phrase was against his religious belief. “We believe in Allah and Vande Mataram is against our belief. The term means Vandana of Bharat Mata which is not what we believe in. Nowhere in the Constitution is it written that saying Vande Mataram is necessary. I could have lost my life.” The video of the incident had apparently gone viral across social media.

The District Education Officer claimed that he had not received any complaint on the matter, hence an investigation was not conducted. However, the Bihar Education Minister has stated that the insult of a national song is not forgivable.