Indian school staff suspended after students recite Urdu poem
Police case in northern India sparks debate over Urdu language, Muslim identity and growing cultural polarization in schools
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Authorities in northern India have suspended three staff members at a government school and filed a police case after a video showing students reciting a well-known Urdu prayer during morning assembly triggered outrage from Hindu nationalist groups online.
The controversy erupted in Sambhal district in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh after a video circulated on social media showing schoolchildren reciting “Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua,” a famous Urdu poem written by philosopher and poet Muhammad Iqbal.
District officials suspended the school principal and two teachers following allegations that religious practices were being promoted inside the government-run school.
Authorities also launched a formal investigation after right-wing activists objected to the assembly prayer, claiming it carried Islamic religious messaging inappropriate for a public educational institution.
The poem, however, has historically been recited in schools across the Indian subcontinent for generations and is widely viewed by many educators as a moral and literary prayer centered on knowledge, compassion and service to humanity rather than religious conversion or instruction.
The controversy intensified after allegations surfaced online claiming Hindu students were being exposed to “Islamic education.” Questions were also raised over reports that some girls wore hijabs and some students appeared wearing caps during the assembly.
Officials in Sambhal district said a committee had been formed to investigate the incident and determine whether any school regulations were violated.
The case has fueled a broader debate in India over the treatment of Urdu language and Muslim cultural expression in public institutions.
Urdu, one of India’s officially recognized languages, has deep historical roots in South Asian literature, poetry, journalism and anti-colonial political movements. However, rights advocates and language scholars say the language has increasingly become politically sensitive because of its strong association with Muslim identity in contemporary India.
Civil society groups and Urdu scholars questioned the disciplinary action against the teachers, arguing that literary and cultural expressions in Urdu are increasingly being viewed through a communal lens amid growing polarization.
The incident also reflects wider tensions in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, where debates around hijab, Islamic symbols, mosque disputes and religious identity have intensified under governments led by the Hindu supremacist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
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