Hindu minor students coerced to offer namaz, Hindu deities mocked by Muslim headmaster at government primary school in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh
Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India 
2 February, 2026
Case Summary
In the Nauhjheel area of Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh, Hindu students were targeted, their religion was mocked, and they were forced to offer namaz at a government primary school. The case concerned the Nauhjheel Primary School in Mathura, where the headmaster, Jan Mohammad, had been promoting Islam and influencing Hindu students. Following complaints from the parents of Hindu students, the BJP Bajna Mandal President, Durgesh Pradhan, submitted a written complaint to the Basic Education Officer (BSA), Mathura. The complaint stated that the headmaster had misled students into converting to Islam and had forced them to perform namaz. It was further stated that he had made derogatory remarks against Hindu deities and had attempted to denigrate Hinduism. It was also stated that the school had not regularly organised the singing of the national anthem, and that students had been reprimanded if they did sing it. After receiving the complaint, the Basic Education Officer (BSA), Mathura, found the headmaster prima facie guilty and suspended him. The education department had also formed a two‑member inquiry committee to conduct an impartial investigation into the matter. The BSA Mathura stated that the constituted inquiry committee would conduct a detailed investigation and submit a report, based on which further departmental action would be decided.
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- Attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism. In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The other sub-category is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. The tertiary categories under it are: Conversion of minor and Pattern of targeting Hindus. 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. In this case, minor Hindu students had been deliberately targeted because of their religious identity. Their deities had been mocked and they had been pressured into performing Islamic rituals such as namaz. This had not been a matter of ordinary discipline or education but a direct attempt to undermine the Hindu faith and instil practices from an alien religion. By ridiculing Hinduism and using derogatory language against Hindu deities, the Islamic headmaster had created an environment where Hindu children had been made to feel inferior and ashamed of their traditions. Furthermore, the approach taken had not been open or respectful but manipulative. The students had been young and impressionable, and the headmaster had used his authority to influence them. Moreover, forcing minors to adopt Islamic religious practices against their will had amounted to grooming and subtle indoctrination. It had been a form of brainwashing where repeated exposure to one set of rituals and derogation of their own faith could gradually weaken their attachment to Hinduism. In addition, this incident had reflected a wider pattern. Hindu children had been singled out, coerced, and denied the right to express their own identity, even to the extent of being reprimanded for singing the national anthem. Such acts had shown a systematic effort to erode Hindu identity within a government institution, where the expectation should have been neutrality and respect for all faiths. Finally, the fact that minors had been involved had made the case even more serious. Children had lacked the maturity to resist such pressure, and the abuse of authority by a headmaster had placed them in a vulnerable position. Therefore this case is added to the tracker. Disclaimer: The Hinduphobia Tracker records the date of an incident based on when a crime occurs rather than when it is reported by the media. However, in this case, the media reports did not state the exact date of the crime. Therefore, the date of the first media report on this case, 2 February 2026, has been selected as the indicative incident date. This date is recorded for documentation purposes only.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
