A controversy recently erupted revolving “Kids World English School” in Partur of Maharashtra’s Jalna district after a video of its annual function went viral online. On 18th June (Thursday), authorities filed a case against the institution’s principal Wazhiyoddin Siddiqui and 2 teachers. The trio has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’s (BNS) sections 152 (acts endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India), 196 (promoting enmity between groups), 197 (spreading misinformation affecting national integration) and 353 (circulating false information likely to cause public alarm).
The students were shown brandishing dummy swords as “Gustakh-e-Nabi Ki Ek Saza” plays in the background in the footage. The clarion call demanding beheading for insulting Prophet Muhammad has its roots in jihadi group, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) which operates in the Islamic Republic. The school is owned by Tariq Siddiqui who is reportedly a Congress party. An image of Pakistani terrorist Mumtaz Qadri was also reportedly displayed in the background during the gathering which took place in March 2025.
Local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Babanrao Lonikar demanded action against the school administration along with revocation of the institution’s recognition. On the other hand, the school refuted the accusations and insisted that the information being shared online is false.
According to Siddiqui, the song is from the well-known Turkish television series “Ertugrul Ghazi” and not Pakistan. He claimed, “The image shown during the performance was of an actor from Ertugrul Ghazi. Some persons tampered with the visuals and circulated misleading content on social media.” The school argued that the information being disseminated online does not fairly represent what happened during its function.
Police officials assured that the issue is being looked into and details about the performance, the song and the pictures seen throughout the show are being confirmed. The probe will ascertain the veracity of the charges and whether the school’s response is supported by the evidence.
Meanwhile, Consulting Editor of NDTV, Gargi Rawat Ansari, shared a sarcastic post regarding the charges invoked in the case over what she tried to pass off as a “trivial matter.”
It is important to highlight that the students were seen performing a song that advocates for the beheading of anyone considered disrespectful to the Islamic prophet. It was not an ordinary performance. “Gustakh-e-Nabi Ki Ek Saza, Sar Tan Se Juda” was coined by late TLP founder Khadim Hussain Rizvi, who was a rabid Hindu hater. The slogan has also reverberated in the streets of India, where violent Muslim mobs have invoked it on various occasions, including the Nupur Sharma case.
Just because the song was included in a Turkish Islamist propaganda series, it does not become normal to perform to the song. The song remains an Islamist call for beheading on blasphemy allegations.
