Hyderabad school sacks teacher after Class 2 student allegedly given religious homework

A private school in Hyderabad terminated a teacher after parents alleged she forced a Hindu student to memorize Islamic religious text. The incident sparked protests by local political groups, though the parents have since accepted the school's disciplinary action.
Why it matters
This incident highlights ongoing communal sensitivities in educational institutions and the potential for local political mobilization around religious identity in schools.
A Class 2 homework assignment has snowballed into a controversy at a private school in Hyderabad’s Saidabad after the parents of a Hindu student alleged that their child was asked to memorise and recite the Kalma, prompting protests outside the institution and police detention of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers on Thursday (July 16, 2026).
The issue came to light after the child’s parents allegedly found that a teacher had asked the student to learn the Kalma, believed to be the basic belief of Islam, as part of homework. The family, shocked by the assignment, approached the management seeking an explanation and later alleged that the child had been given a similar task earlier as well.
The parents questioned why a student belonging to another faith was being asked to memorise religious content as schoolwork and demanded action against the school management.
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