Telangana Police Detain BJP Leader After Assault on School Principal Sparks Outrage

Hyderabad, June 2026 : Amid mounting public outrage over the alleged assault of a school principal during a dispute over the teaching of Urdu, the Telangana Police on Monday took BJP leader Mandula Balu into custody from Armoor in Nizamabad district.

Balu, the president of the BJP’s Armoor town unit, was detained from a guest house in Ankapoor village, reportedly owned by Armoor BJP MLA Paidi Rakesh Reddy. A large contingent of police personnel reached the premises and physically escorted the BJP leader into custody after he and his supporters attempted to resist the action.

Videos of the police operation showed officers carrying Balu out of the guest house before taking him away in a police vehicle. Describing the police action as “cruel”, Balu and his supporters protested the manner of his detention.

The police action comes two days after Balu allegedly slapped Bharat Chandra School principal Amer Khan during an argument over the introduction of Urdu as a second language in the private educational institution. The incident, which occurred on June 27, drew widespread condemnation after videos of the assault circulated extensively on social media.

The footage showed the BJP leader allegedly assaulting the principal in the presence of a police officer, whose failure to intervene immediately also triggered criticism from political leaders and members of the public.

Several Congress leaders, including the party’s national spokesperson Shama Mohamed, demanded strict action against both the BJP leader and the police official present during the incident.

The controversy began after Balu and his supporters objected to the school’s decision to introduce Urdu as a second language. They alleged that the newly appointed Urdu teacher was not only teaching the language but was also instructing Hindu students in Namaaz and other Islamic religious practices.

However, the school management categorically denied these allegations.

The institution’s management, headed by members of the Hindu community, clarified that Urdu had been introduced solely as an academic subject following requests from parents of some students. School correspondent Mallayya said the Urdu teacher had conducted only a couple of introductory classes during which students were taught the Urdu alphabet.

Principal Amer Khan explained that the school had planned to establish a separate section for Urdu classes, but since the newly recruited teacher was unaware of those arrangements, a combined class was temporarily conducted.

According to Khan, once parents of some non-Muslim students raised objections, the school immediately discontinued the Urdu classes. Despite this, he alleged that Balu, accompanied by several supporters, entered the school premises without permission, abused him and physically assaulted him.

Khan further claimed that after the incident, instead of receiving immediate protection, he was taken to the police station and kept there until evening.

Following a complaint lodged by school correspondent Mallayya, the police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Mandula Balu and others on charges including criminal trespass, voluntarily causing hurt and committing mischief.

At the same time, the authorities also registered a counter-case against the school management. Armoor Tahsildar Satyanarayana filed a complaint under Section 196 read with Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to promoting enmity between different groups, against principal Amer Khan and correspondent Mallayya.

The incident has triggered a wider political debate over language, education and communal harmony in Telangana.

Reacting strongly to the controversy, Congress Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Minister Renuka Chowdhury defended the teaching of Urdu, describing it as an integral part of Telangana’s cultural and historical heritage.

“Urdu is a wonderfully rich language. Our older generations knew how to read Urdu. It is a language and a culture that has influenced several aspects of Telangana’s history. The BJP and its grandfathers have no right to stop it,” she said in a social media post.

The Congress leader also shared a poem celebrating the beauty and sweetness of the Urdu language, describing it as one of India’s proud cultural treasures that belongs to people of all faiths and communities.

Police are continuing their investigation into the incident, while the assault video and the subsequent detention of the BJP leader have kept the issue at the centre of political debate in Telangana.