Mathura headmaster suspended after BJP leader claims he made students ‘offer namaz’

The 52-year-old teacher said he was suspended without a verification or inquiry being carried out.

2 min readLucknowUpdated: Feb 4, 2026 04:30 AM IST

The school has a total staff strength of eight members and 235 students. (File Photo)

A headmaster of a government primary school in Mathura was suspended after a BJP leader lodged a complaint accusing him of allegedly encouraging students to offer namaz and failing to make them sing the national anthem.

The headmaster, 52-year-old Jaan Mohammad, who has been posted at the primary school in Naujheel since 2007, denied the claims and said, “I’ve been working here for many years, and no one has ever made such allegations against me.”

He said he received information about his suspension on January 31 without any verification or inquiry being carried out.

Ratan Kirti, Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) of Mathura, said “a two-member committee has been constituted to inquire into the matter”. She added that Mohammad was suspended on January 31 following a complaint filed by BJP leader Durgesh Kumar alias Pradhan, who had raised allegations against him.

Durgesh, a former village pradhan and BJP’s Bajna Mandal Adyhaksh in Mathura, said he submitted a complaint to the BSA on January 30 after receiving repeated complaints from local residents against Mohammad.

According to Durgesh, residents alleged that the headmaster was misleading students by encouraging them to offer namaz. They further claimed that he did not ensure the national anthem was sung in school every morning and that he had shown disrespect towards deities.

Durgesh also alleged that the headmaster was influencing children on religious lines, claiming that preachers frequently visited the school and interacted with students and their families.

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“I have no personal dispute with the headmaster, nor have I ever met him,” Durgesh said. “I filed the complaint with the BSA solely on the basis of complaints received from local residents. I only raised the issue in the interest of the children and the school.”

The primary school is located in Naujheel town, an area with a mixed population, and is situated close to the local police station and an intermediate college. The school has a total staff strength of eight members and 235 students.

The headmaster also denied meeting or interacting with Durgesh in the past.

BJP’s Mathura district president Nirbhay Pandey confirmed that Durgesh is the party’s Bajna Mandal Adhyaksh.

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