Minor Hindu students taught and made to recite the Kalma by Muslim cleric in their school; slapped when failed to do so
Rajaori, Jammu and Kashmir, India 
20 November, 2025
Case Summary
In the Panjnara village of Rajouri district, Jammu, minor Hindu students were taught and made to recite the Kalma by a Muslim cleric (Maulvi) in their school. According to reports, a video of the Star Institute Education School in Panjnara village went viral on social media, showing a Muslim cleric teaching the Islamic Kalma to young schoolchildren, including Hindu children. In the video, a minor girl from the school stated that the Maulvi had been teaching them the Kalma and that they were forced to memorise and recite it. She also said that those who failed to do so were slapped by another Muslim teacher named Safina. The video, which was circulated widely on social media, led to anger among local Hindu residents and parents, who stated that although the school had students and teachers from different faiths, imparting religious instruction from one religion to children was unacceptable. Some parents also reported that their children had begun reciting “La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasul Allah” fluently after attending school. Surjit Singh, the father of one of the girls seen in the video, submitted a written complaint to the Chief Education Officer of Rajouri. The administration responded immediately, forming a three-member enquiry team to conduct an investigation. As of the date of writing this report, the investigative team submitted its report to the Chief Education Officer, who stated that strict action would follow and that no one involved in the matter would be spared. During the enquiry, the school management claimed that they had appointed a Muslim cleric/Maulvi and that he was removed once the controversy escalated. Local Hindu organisations met members of the investigation team and expressed that such incidents would not be tolerated. They demanded cancellation of the school’s recognition and registration of a case against both the cleric and the school administration, warning that various Hindu groups would protest if strict action was not taken.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Predatory Proselytisation. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. The tertiary category selected is- Conversion of Minor. Religious brainwashing essentially means the often subtle and forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up their religious beliefs to accept contrasting regimented ideas. Religious grooming or brainwashing also involves propaganda and manipulation. It involves the systematic effort, driven by religious malice and indoctrination, to persuade “non-believers’ to accept allegiance, command, or doctrine to and of a contrasting faith. Cases of such grooming or brainwashing are far more nuanced than direct threats, coercion, inducement and violence. In such cases, it is often seen that there is repeated, subtle and continual manipulation of the victim to induce disaffection towards their own faith and acceptance of the contrasting faith of the perpetrator. While subtle indoctrination is widely acknowledged as predatory, an element which is often understated in such conversions or the attempts of such conversion is the role of loyalty and trust which might develop between the perpetrator and the victim. Fiduciary relationships are often abused to affect such religious conversion. For example, an educator transmitting religious doctrine of a competing faith to a Hindu student. The Hindu student is likely to accept what the teacher is transmitting owing to existence of the fiduciary relationship. The exploitation of the fiduciary relationship to religiously indoctrinate victims would also be included in this category. Since the underlying animosity towards the victim’s faith forms the basis of predatory proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. The other sub-category selected here is - Harassment, threats, coercion for conversion. Harassment covers a wide range of behaviours of an offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behaviour that demeans, humiliates, and intimidates a person, including threats and coercion. Harassment and threats, in this case, find their root on discriminatory grounds which has the effect of nullifying a person’s rights or infringing upon his freedom to exercise his right specifically owing to the victim’s religious identity. Verbal and physical threats and psychological or physical harassment are often used against Hindu victims because they choose to practice their professed religion. Religious harassment also includes forced and involuntary conversions by harassment, threats or coercion. Coercion includes intimidatory tactics like force-feeding a Hindu victim beef to convert to another religion, forceful circumcision etc. In several cases documented, non-Hindu perpetrators or those who harbour specific animosity towards Hinduism, harass victims simply based on their religious identity. Such cases often also include harassment to ensure the Hindu victim abandons his/her professed religion and adopts the religion of the perpetrator. Such cases where Hindu victims are harassed to convert to the perpetrator’s religion are rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. This case has been added to the tracker because minor Hindu students were taught and made to recite the Kalma by a Muslim cleric (Maulvi) in their school. Firstly, it is important to highlight that the victims were Hindu children who were compelled to recite the Islamic Kalma, a declaration of the Islamic faith. Since the victims were minors, the element of consent and genuine change of conscience was missing ab initio. Minors, due to their young age, lack of maturity and are particularly vulnerable to manipulation and coercion. They may not have the ability to fully understand the implications of converting to another religion or chanting the prayers of another faith. The Muslim perpetrators purposely targeted and exploited this vulnerability of the victims, so as to make them more susceptible to conversion in future. Subtle manipulation tactics can be difficult to detect, especially when employed by trusted authority figures, such as school teachers, in positions of influence. This makes it challenging for parents to identify and address instances of religious manipulation in schools. The school authorities used their position of authority and exploited the vulnerability of the minor Hindu victims. This was a targeted attempt to impose Islam on Hindu children, which is a form of proselytisation that exploits the school environment and targets Hindu students due to their faith. Such actions are a result of bias and disdain for Hindu students due to their religious identity. Secondly, forcing young Hindu children to recite the Islamic Kalma was not a neutral act of interfaith harmony but a deliberate imposition of the Islamic faith over their own Hindu beliefs. Such coercion and imposition infringe upon the children’s right to freely practice their own faith and violate their cultural and religious identity. When Hindu individuals are subjected to such compulsion, it amounts to psychological and emotional harm, as they are compelled to participate in religious prayers that contradict their beliefs, causing confusion, distress, and a sense of alienation. Thirdly, one of the victims said that those who failed to recite the Kalma were slapped by another Muslim teacher named Safina. Compelling Hindu minors to recite an Islamic religious declaration and punishing them physically for failing to do so constitutes an act driven by religious bias. The act of slapping Hindu children for not reciting the Kalma was not a neutral disciplinary measure; it was a direct attempt to suppress their religious identity and force compliance through violence. Such behaviour reflected hostility towards the victims’ Hindu identity and amounted to an abuse of authority within an educational setting to enforce religious conformity. A school is supposed to be a secular place, and imparting religious education, especially without the consent of parents, is a deliberate attempt at subtly brainwashing the child and creating fertile grounds for converting them in future. By asking students to recite the Kalma, the Maulvi was attempting to reinforce the practice through repetition and create familiarity and connection with the tenets of Islam. This calculated and repetitive exposure to religious doctrine is a clear example of religious brainwashing. Moreover, the Islamic theology believes in the spread of Islam and disdains all other polytheistic faiths, including Hinduism. This case is also motivated by disdain for the victim's Hindu identity. The accused Muslim man in this instance was teaching Hindus to recite the Islamic Kalma. This would eventually lead to them abandoning their Hindu faith and adopting Islam. This is a direct result of their doctrinal and intrinsic animosity against Hinduism. This is a subtle way to indoctrinate the local Hindus into discarding their original Hindu faith and converting to Islam. Since the central motivation is religion, this case has been added as a hate crime. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records incidents based on when an event occurred or when the victim's ordeal began. It is important to clarify that none of the media sources covering this case has specified the exact date when the victim's ordeal began. Therefore, for documentation purposes, we have recorded the date based on when the incident was reported in the media, 21 November 2025.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
Unknown
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
