Tripta Tyagi, a a 60-year-old teacher and principal of Neha Public School in Muzaffarnagar, has released a video message in which she clarifies that her request for students to slap their Muslim classmate was not driven by any communal motive.

She admitted her mistake and sought forgiveness, in the message.

She emphasizes that although she made an error, there was no intention to create a Hindu-Muslim divide. She explains that her motive was to ensure that the children memorized their lessons, as they had not completed their homework.

Tripta Tyagi, who is physically handicapped, explains that due to her inability to get up, she asked some children to slap the Muslim student a few times in order to encourage him to study. She acknowledged that this was a mistake on her part.

Facing a police case, the elderly woman claims that her video was manipulated and shared to provoke a Hindu-Muslim conflict. She clarified that she had no intention to mistreat Muslim children, as she teaches many of them for free since their parents cannot afford the school fees.

Following a complaint filed by the boy's family, Tripta Tyagi is facing charges of voluntarily causing hurt and intentional insult with the intention to provoke breach of the peace. These offenses are bailable and do not result in immediate arrest.

In response to the incident, the school has been temporarily closed, and the students will be relocated to nearby schools, according to the state education department authorities.