Urdu in school: Telangana HC protects school principal from arrest
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Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on July 8 directed the Nizamabad Police not to arrest school principal Amer Khan in connection with a case arising from the controversy over the teaching of Urdu at a private school in Armoor.
The interim protection was granted during the hearing of Khan's anticipatory bail plea. The court also directed him to cooperate with the ongoing investigation in accordance with Section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), Siasat Daily reported.
The case stems from an incident on June 27, when local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders entered Bharat Chandra School in Armoor, Nizamabad district, and allegedly assaulted Khan in the presence of police personnel. The BJP leaders accused the school of teaching Urdu to students without permission.
According to local reports, the BJP leaders alleged that students were being taught Urdu songs and the kalma, that their books contained Urdu script, and that they had observed behavioural changes in their children.
Speaking to Siasat.com, Armoor Station House Officer Satyanarayana said that a case had been registered against BJP town president Mandula Balu and others on charges including criminal intimidation, trespassing and assault.
Police also registered a case against principal Amer Khan, Urdu teacher Huma and school correspondent Mallaiah for allegedly teaching Urdu without permission. They were booked under Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which relates to promoting enmity between different groups.
Following the incident, Telangana Police issued notices to social media platform X directing it to remove videos showing the alleged assault on the principal, citing violations of the Information Technology Rules.
On June 29, Nizamabad Police arrested BJP leader Mandula Balu in connection with the alleged assault. Police said he was apprehended from a guest house in Ankapoor that reportedly belongs to Armoor MLA Paidi Rakesh Reddy.
The same day, police also detained Paidi Rakesh Reddy at Bhiknoor while he was travelling from Hyderabad to participate in a protest over allegations that Hindu students at Bharat Chandra School in Perkit were being taught Urdu and offered instruction related to namaz.