NHRC takes cognisance of Hyderabad school row, issues notice to Telangana govt

NEW DELHI, HYDERABAD: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Telangana government over allegations that a school in Hyderabad discriminated against students on religious grounds by allegedly asking Hindu students to recite the Kalma and assigning Islamic prayers as homework.

NHRC member Priyank Kanoongo said the Commission took cognisance of a complaint filed by the Seva Nyaya Utthan Foundation.

“We received a complaint from an organisation called Seva Nyaya Utthan Foundation alleging that a school in Hyderabad is discriminating against children on religious grounds. The complaint also claims that Hindu students are being compelled to recite the Kalma and are given Islamic prayers as homework. This appears to be a serious violation of Article 28(3) of the Constitution. We have issued a notice to the Telangana Government regarding the matter,” Kanoongo said.

#WATCH | Delhi: Hyderabad school ‘Kalma’ homework row, Member NHRC, Priyank Kanoongo, says, “… We received a complaint from an organisation called Seva Nyaya Utthan Foundation alleging that a school in Hyderabad is discriminating against children on religious grounds. The… pic.twitter.com/TkuiqdZGVb

— ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2026

Heavy police security deployment was seen outside Success School in the Saidabad area on Friday, following intense protests over allegations that second-grade Hindu students were reportedly asked to recite the ‘Kalma’ as part of their homework. The school premises remained deserted on Friday morning, as no students or staff appeared past 9 am.

The heavy police presence follows a day of demonstrations by parents and local activists who expressed outrage over the alleged “religious imposition” on minor students.

Reacting to the incident, Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar took to X to condemn the school management, describing the incident as a “direct assault” on religious freedom.

Hindu students being forced to recite the Kalma in school is a dangerous and unacceptable act.

This is a direct assault on the freedom of religion and cannot be brushed aside.

Telangana Government must immediately take strict action against the management of Success School,… pic.twitter.com/YoD04f68ab

— Bandi Sanjay Kumar (@bandisanjay_bjp) July 16, 2026

“Hindu students being forced to recite the Kalma in school is a dangerous and unacceptable act. This is a direct assault on the freedom of religion and cannot be brushed aside. The Telangana Government must immediately take strict action against the management of Success School, Saidabad,” the Minister posted.

He further questioned the silence of other political factions, stating, “Why are the self-proclaimed secular voices silent now? If such incidents are ignored today, they will spread across Telangana tomorrow. BJP will never allow Hindu faith, traditions, and culture to be trampled upon.”

Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh also slammed the incident, noting that it occurred within the parliamentary constituency of AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

असदुद्दीन ओवैसी के क्षेत्र में दूसरी कक्षा के हिंदू बच्चों को जबरन कलमा पढ़ाने का प्रयास किया गया। यह अत्यंत चिंताजनक और निंदनीय घटना है।

बच्चों की आस्था और अभिभावकों के विश्वास के साथ खिलवाड़ किसी भी परिस्थिति में स्वीकार नहीं किया जा सकता।

दोषियों पर कड़ी कार्रवाई होनी चाहिए। pic.twitter.com/wvqcU24JgT

— Raja Singh (@TigerRajaSingh) July 16, 2026

“In Asaduddin Owaisi’s constituency, an attempt was made to forcibly teach the Kalma to Hindu children of the second grade. This is an extremely disturbing and reprehensible incident. Tampering with children’s faith and parents’ trust cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. Strict action must be taken against the culprits,” Raja Singh stated on X.

The controversy unfolded on Wednesday evening when parents discovered the nature of the schoolwork assigned to the class. According to Hyderabad Police, the class comprised 25 students, including one Hindu student. The teacher allegedly instructed the entire class to recite the Kalma and Surah Fatiha as part of daily homework, prompting the Hindu student’s parents to approach both the school management and the police.

The remarks come amidst heightened tensions in the Sayeedabad area, where the school management has already terminated and blacklisted the teacher involved in the controversy following protests by parents and BJP workers.

Reacting to the controversy, senior Congress leader V Hanumantha Rao condemned the alleged incident and said religious practices should not be imposed in educational institutions.

“There is a Muslim teacher who is forcing children to recite the Kalma. This is a religious matter, and forcing children like this is not correct. The government must take this issue very seriously. This is a secular country. Everyone has the right to practise their religion in their own homes, but not inside an educational institution,” Rao said.

He welcomed the suspension of the teacher and urged the Telangana government to ensure strict action in similar cases. “I congratulate the Home Department and the police for immediately taking action and suspending the teacher. I request Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and the Home Minister to ensure such incidents are not tolerated in any school, as they could create law-and-order problems,” he added.

Meanwhile, Advocate and BJP leader Karuna Sagar alleged that police initially attempted to suppress the matter and registered an FIR only after the NHRC intervened. He questioned whether assigning Kalma and Surah Al-Fatihah as homework to a six-year-old child was appropriate and sought an explanation from the police over their handling of the case.

#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana: Police detained Advocate and BJP leader Karuna Sagar, who came to Success, the school over alleged issue of religious homework for 2nd class Student.

BJP leader and advocate Karunasagar says, “I have come here to question the police as to why no… pic.twitter.com/WOjpQhZNZP

— ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2026

“When a group of us went to question the police regarding their attempt to close the case, which we viewed as a conspiracy and to ask why an FIR had not been registered, the police department refused to answer. Instead, acting high-handedly, they arrested many of us and detained us at various police stations. When I learned that the child’s family was considering withdrawing their complaint due to police pressure, I personally filed a complaint against the school”.

#WATCH | Hyderabad: On Hyderabad school ‘Kalma’ homework row, Advocate and BJP leader Karuna Sagar says, “When a group of us went to question the police regarding their attempt to close the case, which we viewed as a conspiracy and to ask why an FIR had not been registered, the… pic.twitter.com/Zlw75isr4A

— ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2026

“I want to ask just one question: Is it right or wrong for a school to assign homework or activities requiring a 6-year-old child to learn the Kalma and Surah Al-Fatihah? Does the Quran feature in the SSC syllabus according to police department guidelines? Regarding yesterday’s events, the protest and the entire matter that came to light, it was only after the National Human Rights Commission issued notices to the District Magistrate, Police Commissioner, and District Education Officer seeking a report on the incident and the action taken that the police finally registered an FIR last night…why were the police shielding the school instead of exposing the conspiracy? The police need to answer this,” the BJP leader said. (ANI)