All India Forum For Right to Education

A Tribute to Com. K. Narayana

AIFRTE pays it's tribute to Com. K. Narayana as it condoles his demise. Com. K. Narayana, Vice-President of Telangana Save Education Committee (TSEC) and National Executive member of AIFRTE passed away on 15th November in Hyderabad. He was 80 years old and is survived by his wife and daughter to whom we offer our heartfelt and deepest condolences.
Com. K. Narayana was associated with Andhra Pradesh Save Education Committee (APSEC) and became Vice President of the Telangana State Education Committee following the bifurcation of the state and subsequently of the organisation into APSEC and TSEC. He was appointed as a member of AIRTE's Internal Audit Committee in 2018.
Com. K. Narayana worked as a teacher in the erstwhile Adilabad district. For the past five decades, he had been an activist and leader of the progressive teachers movement. In the 1970s he was active in the Panchayat Raj Teachers Union (PRTU), and became its State General Secretary. The PRTU achieved many rights and facilities for panchayat raj teachers on par with government teachers.
He was among the few activists who worked to expand Andhra Pradesh Teachers Federation to Telangana region, when it's organisational network had only been in the Andhra area. In Telangana, all progressive, democratic and revolutionary forces were the cadre of APTF.
K. Narayana contested as a Teacher MLC in Telangana East constituency on behalf of APTF in 1984. Although he lost the election, his election campaign helped in strengthening and expanding the federation. Later, he also served as State Secretary of APTF.
An active comrade in progressive teachers movements in Andhra and Telangana, Com Narayana’s demise is a great loss to the TSEC and AIFRTE movements and other democratic movements. AIFRTE and it's member and fraternal organisations are deeply grieved by his passing. His maturity and wise advice will always be missed.

Jagmohan Singh, Chairperson
Madhu Prasad, Spokesperson
Prasad V, Organizing Secretary

25 NOV 2025

अखिल भारत शिक्षा अधिकार मंच

कॉमरेड के. नारायणा को श्र्रद्धांजलि

अखिल भारत शिक्षा अधिकार मंच (अभाशिअम) कॉमरेड के. नारायणा के निधन पर गहरा शोक व्यक्त करते हुए उनको श्रद्धांजलि अर्पित करता है। कॉमरेड के. नारायणा, जो तेलंगाना सेव एजुकेशन कमेटी (TSEC) के उपाध्यक्ष और अभाशिअम की राष्ट्रीय कार्यकारिणी के सदस्य थे, का निधन 15 नवम्बर को हैदराबाद में हुआ। वे 80 साल के थे। पीछे उनकी पत्नी और बेटी हैं — हम दोनों को दिल से संवेदना और साथीपन का सलाम भेजते हैं।
कॉमरेड के. नारायणा शुरू से आंध्र प्रदेश सेव एजुकेशन कमेटी (APSEC) से जुड़े रहे। राज्य के बँटवारे के बाद संगठन भी आन्ध्र और तेलंगाना राज्यों में विभाजित हुआ और नारायणा तेलंगाना स्टेट एजुकेशन कमेटी (TSEC) के उपाध्यक्ष बने। 2018 में उन्हें AIFRTE की आन्तरिक ऑडिट कमेटी में नियुक्त किया गया।
उन्होंने तत्कालीन आदिलाबाद ज़िले में शिक्षक के रूप में काम किया और पिछले पचास सालों से लगातार प्रगतिशील शिक्षकों की आंदोलनकारी धारा के मज़बूत नेता रहे। 1970 के दशक में वे पंचायत राज टीचर्स यूनियन (PRTU) में बहुत सक्रिय रहे और संगठन के राज्य महासचिव बने। PRTU ने पंचायत राज शिक्षकों के लिए सरकारी शिक्षकों के बराबर अधिकार और सुविधाएँ हासिल करवाने में ऐतिहासिक भूमिका निभाई।
वे उन कुछ गिने-चुने साथियों में से थे जिन्होंने आंध्र प्रदेश टीचर्स फेडरेशन (APTF) के संगठनात्मक ढाँचे को आंध्र के बाहर बढ़ाकर तेलंगाना क्षेत्र तक पहुँचाया — जब वहाँ संगठन की कोई पहुँच नहीं थी। तेलंगाना में प्रगतिशील, लोकतांत्रिक और क्रांतिकारी शिक्षक आंदोलन की पूरी धारा APTF के साथ खड़ी रही।
1984 में कॉमरेड नारायणा ने APTF की ओर से शिक्षक MLC के चुनाव में तेलंगाना ईस्ट से चुनाव लड़ा। चुनाव हारने के बावजूद उनकी संघर्षपूर्ण प्रचार यात्रा ने संगठन को मज़बूत और व्यापक बनाया। बाद में वे APTF के राज्य सचिव भी रहे।
आंध्र और तेलंगाना दोनों में प्रगतिशील शिक्षकों के संघर्षों के एक सच्चे और सक्रिय साथी के रूप में कॉमरेड नारायणा का जाना पूरे तेलंगाना सेव एजुकेशन कमेटी, अभाशिअम और अन्य लोकतांत्रिक आंदोलनों के लिए एक बहुत बड़ी क्षति है। अभाशिअम और उसके सभी सदस्य तथा मित्र संगठन उनके निधन से गहरे दुख में हैं। उनकी समझदारी, उनका मार्गदर्शन और उनका अनुभवी साथ हमेशा याद आएगा।

जगमोहन सिंह, अध्यक्ष
मधु प्रसाद, प्रवक्ता
प्रसाद वी, संगठन सचिव

SEMINAR
on
National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: Questions, Resistance, and Solutions

Organized By: All India Forum for Right to Education (AIFRTE) & Samaan Shiksha Andolan, UP

Date: Saturday, 8th November 2025; Time: 2:00 PM Onwards
Venue: Dharma Chakra Vihar, Buddha Mandir, Mawiyan, Sarnath, Varanasi (Near Tibetan University)

CHIEF GUEST: Dr Vikas Gupta, History Department, Delhi University; Member, Presidium, AIFRTE
CHAIRPERSON: Prof. Mahesh Vikram Singh; Former HOD, History Dept., Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, Varanasi; National Executive Member, AIFRTE and Convenor, Samaan Shiksha Andolan, Uttar Pradesh
SPECIAL GUESTS
Dr. Pramod Kumar Bagade | Philosophy Dept., BHU
Shri Aflatoon | National Organizing Secretary, Samajwadi Jan Parishad
Dr. Chaturanand Ojha | National Executive Member, AIFRTE and Co-convenor, Saman Shiksha Andolan, UP
Dr. Brijesh Kumar Bharatiya | State General Secretary, Shikshak Mahasabha, UP
Shri Amar Nath Maurya | Former District Program Officer
MODERATOR: Dr Neeta Chaube, Senior Advocate, Varanasi; National Executive Member, SJP and AIFRTE

You are cordially invited to participate in this discussion.
For more information, contact: Lal Bahadur: 8382028778 | Dr. Santosh Kumar: 9452413811

All India Forum for Right to Education expresses complete solidarity with the following statement issued by the Faculty Association of Ashoka University. We strongly condemn the arrest of Prof. Mahmudabad and demand his immediate and unconditional release.

“The Faculty Association of Ashoka University strongly condemns the arrest of Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science, on 18 May 2025, on groundless and untenable charges. We condemn the calculated harassment to which Professor Mahmudabad has been subjected: after being arrested early in the morning from his home in New Delhi, he was taken to Sonipat, not allowed access to necessary medication, and driven around for hours without any communication about his whereabouts.

The Faculty Association stands in full support of our colleague: an invaluable member of the university community, a beloved and respected teacher and friend to his students, and a deeply responsible citizen, who brings all his energy and learning to promoting communal harmony and the greater good.

Professor Mahmudabad is well-versed in diverse literary and linguistic traditions and is a widely acclaimed expert and scholar of history and political science in South Asia and beyond. In all of his writing, both for academic and wider public fora, he has emphasized the importance of justice, pluralism, and solidarity, and has always advocated a profound respect for Constitutional values and morality.

Professor Mahmudabad’s students and colleagues have learnt from him what it truly means to be a good citizen-scholar: rational, critical, yet deeply respectful and generous in their engagement with the world around them. All members of the Ashoka community can attest to his personal kindness, his concern for others, and his tireless commitment to sharing his knowledge and resources.

We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Professor Mahmudabad and the dropping of all charges against him.”

---

On May 5, 2025, the International Ramayana and Vedic Research Institute, Ayodhya (Culture Department, Uttar Pradesh), issued an order directing all District Basic Education Officers in the state’s 75 districts to organize summer workshops on Ramayana and Vedas in public schools. These workshops include activities such as Ramleela, recitation and singing of Ramcharitmanas, painting, clay modeling, mask-making, and Vedic chanting, with a duration of 5 to 10 days. Subsequently, on May 8, 2025, the District Basic Education Officer of Maharajganj issued a follow-up order, instructing all Block Education Officers to ensure managerial support for these workshops.

These orders not only violate constitutional principles but also risk promoting caste and gender discrimination, weakening secularism, and undermining the scientific temper.

Ramcharitmanas and Vedic Workshops in Uttar Pradesh Schools: A Public Interest Litigation Against an Unconstitutional Move Share:Share on WhatsAppShare on FacebookShare on X (Twitter)Share on TelegramShare on RedditShare on EmailA Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Allahabad High Court challenging two government orders mandating summer workshops on Ramayana and Vedas in schools across Uttar Pradesh.....

Press Statement

AIFRTE Condemns Arrest of Prof Mahmudabad

All India Forum for Right to Education expresses complete solidarity with the following statement issued by the Faculty Association of Ashoka University. We strongly condemn the arrest of Prof. Mahmudabad and demand his immediate and unconditional release.
The Faculty Association of Ashoka University strongly condemns the arrest of Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Political Science, on 18 May 2025, on groundless and untenable charges. We condemn the calculated harassment to which Professor Mahmudabad has been subjected: after being arrested early in the morning from his home in New Delhi, he was taken to Sonipat, not allowed access to necessary medication, and driven around for hours without any communication about his whereabouts.
The Faculty Association stands in full support of our colleague — an invaluable member of the university community, a beloved and respected teacher and friend to his students, and a deeply responsible citizen, who brings all his energy and learning to promoting communal harmony and the greater good.
Professor Mahmudabad is well-versed in diverse literary and linguistic traditions and is a widely acclaimed expert and scholar of history and political science in South Asia and beyond. In all of his writing, both for academic and wider public fora, he has emphasized the importance of justice, pluralism, and solidarity, and has always advocated a profound respect for Constitutional values and morality.
Professor Mahmudabad’s students and colleagues have learnt from him what it truly means to be a good citizen-scholar: rational, critical, yet deeply respectful and generous in their engagement with the world around them. All members of the Ashoka community can attest to his personal kindness, his concern for others, and his tireless commitment to sharing his knowledge and resources.
We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Professor Mahmudabad and the dropping of all charges against him.

Prof. Jagmohan Singh, Chairperson
Prof Madhu Prasad, Spokesperson
Dr. V. Prasad, Organising Secretary

*अशोका यूनिवर्सिटी के प्रो अली खान को रिहा किया जाए*

अखिल भारत शिक्षा अधिकार मंच अशोका यूनिवर्सिटी की फ़ैकल्टी असोसिएशन के निम्न बयान के साथ पूरी एकजुटता जताता है। हम प्रो. महमूदाबाद की गिरफ़्तारी की सख़्त निंदा करते हैं और उनकी फ़ौरन और बिना शर्त रिहाई की माँग करते हैं।
अशोका यूनिवर्सिटी की फ़ैकल्टी असोसिएशन विश्वविद्यालय में पॉलिटिकल साइंस के एसोसिएट प्रोफ़ेसर और डिपार्टमेंट के हेड प्रो. अली ख़ान महमूदाबाद की 18 मई 2025 को हुई गिरफ़्तारी की पुरज़ोर मुख़ालफ़त करता है। उन पर जो इल्ज़ाम लगाए गए हैं, वो बिना किसी बुनियाद के और बिल्कुल नाजायज़ हैं।
हमें ये देख कर अफ़सोस हुआ है कि प्रो. महमूदाबाद को सुबह-सुबह उनके घर से गिरफ़्तार किया गया, फिर सोनीपत ले जाया गया, उनको ज़रूरी दवाइयाँ भी नहीं दी गईं, और कई घंटे तक उनके साथ ऐसे घुमाया-फिराया गया जैसे उनकी कोई ख़बर ही न हो। ये एक तरह का सोचा-समझा परेशान करने का तरीका था, जो निहायत ही ग़लत और निन्दनीय है।
फ़ैकल्टी असोसिएशन अपने इस साथी के साथ पूरी तरह खड़ी है — प्रो. महमूदाबाद हमारे लिए सिर्फ़ एक प्रोफ़ेसर नहीं, बल्कि एक अच्छे इंसान, समझदार टीचर, और ईमानदार नागरिक हैं। वो हमेशा साम्प्रदायिक सद्भाव और सामाजिक भलाई के लिए काम करते आए हैं।
वो कई ज़बानों और अदबी रिवायतों में माहिर हैं, और साउथ एशिया और उसके बाहर भी, इतिहास और सियासत के माहिर और जाने-माने स्कॉलर माने जाते हैं। अपने हर तहरीर में — चाहे वो अकादमिक हो या आम लोगों के लिए — उन्होंने इंसाफ़, बहुलता, और बराबरी की बात की है, और हमेशा संविधान के उसूलों और संवैधानिक नैतिकता की हिमायत की है।
प्रो. महमूदाबाद के स्टूडेंट्स और साथियों ने उनसे सीखा है कि एक अच्छा नागरिक-विद्वान कैसा होता है − सोचने-समझने वाला, आलोचनात्मक नज़र रखने वाला और साथ ही दूसरों की इज़्ज़त करने वाला और दरियादिल।
अशोका कम्युनिटी का हर शख़्स उनकी भलमनसाहत, दूसरों की फ़िक्र, और अपने इल्म को बाँटने की लगन को महसूस कर सकता है।
हम माँग करते हैं कि प्रो. महमूदाबाद को फ़ौरन और बिला शर्त रिहा किया जाए, और उन पर लगाए गए सारे इल्ज़ाम वापस लिए जाएँ।

प्रो जगमोहन सिंह (अध्यक्ष)
प्रो मधु प्रसाद (स्पोक्सपर्सन)
डॉ. वी. प्रसाद (संगठन सचिव)

Haryana police on Sunday (May 18) arrested Ashoka University professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad under charges that point to sedition and for hurting religious sentiments complaint for his comments on India’s Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.

Two FIRs were lodged against Mahmudabad, one on the complaint of a Bharatiya Janata Party office-bearer and the other on the complaint of the Haryana State Commission for Women days after its chairperson had summoned the professor over his social media posts against warmongering following India’s Operation Sindoor against Pakistan. The police confirmed his arrest in a statement posted on X.

~~ Endangering democracy is not in national interest ~~

Arrested Over Post Against Warmongering, Ashoka Professor to Be Produced in Haryana Court Ali Khan Mahmudabad was booked under the serious charge of 'acts that endanger India's sovereignty, unity, and integrity' under Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita's Section 152.

Webinar on Federalism and Social Justice - A North-Eastern Perspective
Speaker: Prof. Apurba K Baruah
Date and Time: Feb 18, Tuesday 6:30pm

All India Forum for Right to Education (AIFRTE) condemns police
atrocities in Jamia Millia University in Delhi

The NEHU Students on Indefinite Hunger Strike
………………………………………………………………..

The students in the NEHU, a major university in the North East India situated at Shillong, in Meghalaya are still continuing their indefinite hunger strike along with protests including the complete boycott of classes for the removal of vice -chancellor Prof. PS Sukla who violates the university rules in appointment of the key functionaries such as the registrar etc and by passes the academic councils on many issues. He also has not addressed the students’ grievances including their demand to provide with facilities in hostels among others. The teachers and non-teaching staff are also supporting the legitimate demand of the students for the removal of VC who is an RSS guy and was appointed solely on those considerations.

NEHU Students Demand Vice Chancellor's Resignation, Protests, Hunger Strike, Lockdown Continue Protests at Sillong's North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) continued as students demanded the resignation of Vice Chancellor Prof. Prabha Shankar Shukla, R...