Minor Hindu boy beaten by Muslim teacher in convent school for writing ‘Jai Shri Ram’

Case ID : e27522f | Location : Etah, Uttar Pradesh, India | Date of Incident : Sun, 24 August, 2025

Case ID : e27522f

Etah, Uttar Pradesh, India

24 August, 2025

Minor Hindu boy beaten by Muslim teacher in convent school for writing ‘Jai Shri Ram’

Attack not resulting in death

Attacked for Hindu identity

Restriction/ban on Hindu practices

Restriction on expression of Hindu identity

Case Summary

In the Etah district of Uttar Pradesh, a Hindu boy was beaten by his Muslim teacher for writing "Jai Shri Ram" on his notebook. The teacher also tore the boy’s notebook. According to media reports, the accused teacher is identified as Shakir Hussain. This incident took place in ACC Convent School. The Muslim teacher, Shakir, first tore the notebook of the Hindu student and then physically assaulted the student. When the boy returned home, he informed his family of the incident. Angered by the event, the family, accompanied by villagers, protested at the school on 26th August 2025. Vishwa Hindu Parishad and other Hindu organisations joined in the protest after receiving the information. Students also revealed that on 13th August 2025, some children had written ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in their notebooks, after which the teacher marked the writings with a red pen and warned them against doing so in future. The victim student’s father confirmed that the accused teacher had previously harassed children for mentioning Hindu gods and goddesses. The family filed a police complaint and demanded action. Following this, the police arrested Shakir Hussain and began an investigation. Yogendra Kumar, a Hindu activist, said this was not the first incident reported at ACC Convent School. He noted that Shakir Hussain had been accused of beating children before, but previous cases were suppressed due to intervention by the school management. Yogendra also revealed that a video had circulated showing children made to work under the scorching sun at the school, which had led parents to lodge a complaint against the management. Inspector in charge of City Kotwali, Ajay Pal Singh, stated that an FIR had been registered against Shakir Hussain on the basis of the parents’ complaint, under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the BNS. Additionally, action was being taken under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act for cruelty to children. The police also began a detailed inquiry and were questioning the school management. Yogendra Kumar demanded strict action from the police and district administration, not only against the Muslim teacher but also against the school management. He said, "This school repeatedly appears in the news for mistreatment of children. Targeting children on religious grounds and using corporal punishment is unacceptable. We seek a fair and impartial investigation and expect the culprits to be punished."

Why it is Hate Crime ?

This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category- Attack not resulting in death. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Attacked for Hindu identity. In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime under this category. Another primary category that is relevant in this case is- Restriction/ban on religious practices. Within this, the subcategory selected is- Restriction on expression of Hindu identity. An example of the state-affected prejudicial and targeted orders against the Hindu community would be a government denying the right of a Hindu or a group of Hindus to hold a religious procession owing to the animosity of non-Hindu groups. Denial of the religious right of the Hindus to assuage the non-Hindu group which harbours animosity to a point where it could lead to violence against Hindus is not only a failure of law and order but is a prejudicial order against Hindus, denying them their fundamental rights to express their religious identity. An example of a hate crime against Hindus by a non-Hindu would be a non-Hindu institution forcing its Hindu employees to abandon religious symbols that a Hindu would wear as an expression of faith owing to inherent prejudice against the faith professed by the victim or a non-Hindu group of people restricting a Hindu group from constructing a place of worship simply because the demography of the area in which the temple is being built is dominated by non-Hindus. Such actions are driven by religious animosity and/or prejudice against Hindus and their faith and would therefore be categorized as a hate crime. This incident constitutes a clear case of anti-Hindu hate crime because the Hindu student was targeted explicitly due to his religious identity, writing "Jai Shri Ram'' in his notebook. This act of writing a Hindu religious phrase became the basis for the attack, demonstrating religious animosity against the student. The fact that he was physically beaten by the Muslim teacher and his notebook torn reveals a deliberate intention to harm not only his body but also his religious sentiments and beliefs. Such acts demonstrate deep-seated religious animosity towards the Hindu student due to his faith, making it a religiously motivated crime. The victim’s father confirmed that this was not an isolated incident; the accused teacher, Shakir Hussain, had previously harassed children for mentioning Hindu gods and goddesses. This ongoing pattern of targeting reflects a sustained hostility towards Hindu students expressing their religious identity within the school environment. Even Yogendra Kumar, a member of a Hindu organisation, has also confirmed that this is not the first instance of such behaviour. Shakir Hussain had beaten Hindu students before, but those events were suppressed by the school management, allowing the abusive pattern to continue unchecked. Further supporting this, reports indicate that Hindu students who wrote "Jai Shri Ram" or similar religious expressions were threatened, warned, and punished. This shows a systematic effort to restrict Hindu students from freely expressing their religious identity. Such actions result in Hindu students feeling insecure and vulnerable due to their religious identity. Such targeted harassment and suppression based on religious identity constitute a hate crime motivated by anti-Hindu animosity. Additionally, the fact that Hindu students have been targeted repeatedly for writing Hindu religious phrases clearly shows that this was not an isolated incident. Rather, it was a premeditated and well-calculated attack specifically aimed at the Hindu boy and other Hindu students because of their religious identity. Such repeated actions demonstrate the religiously motivated nature of the attack even more evidently, reflecting clear hostility and prejudice against Hindus and their religion. Given that this case meets the parameters of a religiously motivated crime, it is being added to the hate crime database.