Minor Hindu students forced to recite Islamic prayer Sura Fateha by Muslim principal in Assam
Bongaigaon, Assam, India 
14 August, 2025
Case Summary
In Bongaigaon district, Assam, Hindu students at a school were compelled to recite the Islamic prayer, Fatiha, by the Muslim principal, Jeherul Islam. A video of this instance went viral on social media and caused widespread outrage. Media reports confirmed that young Hindu children at a government primary school named Bhadragaon L P School were pressured to recite Quranic verses as their morning prayer under the supervision of two teachers. The video went viral on 15th August 2025, triggering strong reactions from various sections of society. After viewing the video, several Hindu parents protested against the school's actions. Following this, the District Commissioner immediately ordered an enquiry into the matter. Even the District Education Officer (DEO) investigated and suspended the school’s headmaster, Jeherul Islam, and the Sarbasiksha Aviyan CRC, Nirmal Chaudhury, for gross violations of existing government rules. Two other teachers at the school were also suspended immediately by the authorities. Reports also confirmed that the suspended headmaster, Jeherul Islam, admitted to using Sura Fateha, a Quranic chapter, for the morning prayer since he joined the school in 2015. The local Hindus stated that the government school teachers were promoting Islamic religious practices through the morning prayer. They demanded an investigation into breaches of state government rules and an immediate end to these practices. Dibon Nath, a Hindu resident of Bongaigaon, stated that no Muslim sings ‘Vande Mataram’ due to religious reasons, yet Hindu children were being forced to recite Sura Fateha at morning assembly. He described the situation as unjustified and unacceptable. Reports also stated that this was not an isolated case; there have been multiple such incidents where Islamic practices were enforced on Hindu children. Notably, the Hinduphobia Tracker previously reported a case from Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, where Hindu students were harassed and assaulted by a Muslim teacher and Muslim students for not learning Urdu, a language often associated with Indian Islamic culture. Hinduism was also ridiculed during this incident.
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 and subtle indoctrination. The tertiary categories selected 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. This incident is a clear example of an anti-Hindu crime due to several reasons rooted in religious coercion and institutional abuse. Firstly, the Muslim principal, Jeherul Islam, compelled Hindu students to recite the Fatiha, an Islamic prayer. Forcing Hindu students to participate in prayers that do not align with their faith is a direct violation of their religious freedom, especially when made mandatory. Such actions go beyond ordinary school discipline and instead target the spiritual identity of Hindu children. Secondly, since the victims were minors, owing to their age and immaturity, they are not capable of providing informed consent for such religious activities. From the outset, there was a clear absence of genuine consent and any meaningful change of conscience. Children, due to their vulnerability and lack of maturity, are particularly susceptible to manipulation and coercion. They are unlikely to comprehend fully the implications of being coerced into another religion, and the Muslim perpetrator intentionally exploited this vulnerability. This case is a marked example of coercion and manipulation used to achieve religious conversion, which constitutes an unequivocal act of religious hate. When authority figures impose religious practices on children, it creates a predatory environment in which their mental and emotional boundaries are breached, leaving them open to undue influence and exploitation. Furthermore, compelling Hindu children to recite Islamic prayers is more than just an act of discipline; it is a calculated attempt to erode their Hindu identity. By repeatedly exposing minors to forced Islamic prayers, the Muslim principal and other involved teachers systematically discourage them from maintaining their own faith traditions, pushing them towards religious conversion. This is a subtle yet powerful form of institutionalised hate against Hindus, where the aim is not only compliance but the eventual abandonment of their original identity. The principal himself admitted that he had been carrying out this practice since 2015. This long-standing pattern of targeting Hindu children and forcing them to recite Islamic prayers demonstrates that the incident was not isolated; instead, it was part of a premeditated and coordinated effort to influence young Hindu children towards converting to Islam. The consistency and duration of this conduct point to a deliberate agenda rather than a sporadic mistake, making it an instance of a crime motivated by religious hostility. Given that this case meets several parameters of a religiously motivated crime, it is being added to the hate crime database. Disclaimer: Media reports do not disclose the identities of the other teachers involved. As their identities remain unknown, and given that Hinduphobia Tracker records hate crimes against Hindus specifically by non-Hindus. Therefore, for the purpose of documentation, we are keeping the victim count as ‘1’, referring to the Muslim perpetrator, Jeherul Islam. Disclaimer: The report does not specify the exact date when Hindu students were first compelled to recite Surah Fateha at Bhadragaon L P School, but it confirms that a video of Hindu students being compelled to recite the Islamic prayer went viral on 15th August 2025. Since this is the earliest date mentioned, we are considering this as when the victim's ordeal began and using this as the incident date. While media coverage of the incident emerged on 17th August 2025, the Hinduphobia Tracker records the incident based on when the victim’s ordeal began, not when it was reported.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
male
Sources 
