Anand Niketan Ends Munazza Shum’s Consultancy over Malala Book Controversy
14 August 2026 | Times of India
Ahmedabad: Anand Niketan School in Shilaj has terminated its association with visiting consultant Munazza Shums and shut its canteen operations on a directive by the district education officer (DEO) following protests by parents and right-wing groups.
One issue was a glass shard allegedly found in a student’s snack served in the school canteen. The other, which escalated beyond food safety concerns, was protesters objecting to the presence of “I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban” by Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai and “The Diary of Anne Frank” by Jewish Holocaust diarist Anne Frank.
On the day the shard was found, Bajrang Dal activists registered their protest against the books. The next day, members of student outfit ABVP voiced their protests. The groups accused the school management of compelling students to read what they described as “books of other religions”.
Another issue on which the school management was targeted was the alleged discontinuation of the morning prayer.