Hijab targeted as BJP corporator and Hindutva activists harass Muslim teacher at Hyderabad school
Hyderabad: In another incident highlighting concerns over religious intolerance in Modi’s India, members of a Hindutva organization led by BJP corporator Akula Srivani harassed and threatened a Muslim teacher at a school in Hyderabad, the capital of the Indian state of Telangana.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Srivani and Hindu Vahini members entered the principal’s office at Sagarika Integrated High School in Sri Venkateshwara Colony, alleging that a teacher had asked students to remove rakhis tied around their wrists. Srivani also alleged that the students were being told things against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ram Temple in Ayodhya and India’s economic growth.
The teacher reportedly explained that the rakhis had become dirty and that she had therefore asked the students to remove them. When she denied Srivani’s other allegations, the BJP corporator raised her voice and questioned her, saying, “You wear your hijab throughout the year. Has anyone opposed or questioned you?”
Later, while speaking outside the school, Srivani urged parents to remain vigilant about what was being taught to their children.
Police registered a case against Srivani under Sections 196 and 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which relate to offences including promoting enmity between groups and hurting religious sentiments.
Responding to the FIR, Srivani questioned the police action, saying, “What crimes have I committed for the police to justify registering non-bailable cases against me?”
AIMIM youth leader Mohammed Imran Ahmed criticized Srivani’s conduct, saying, “Parents should watch what schools teach. They should also watch elected representatives walking into a private school with a crowd, raising their voice at a teacher, and turning a hygiene issue into ‘educational jihad.’”
Ahmed further said, “You wear saffron and claim no one should question a child’s faith. Then do not single out a teacher’s hijab in the same breath. That is the same logic you say you oppose.”
“If classrooms are being used for political or religious propaganda—against any community or any party—that should be investigated on evidence, not slogans,” he said.”
