Doda, September 30 — A controversy has erupted in Chenab Valley’s Doda after the signboard of Government Higher Secondary School (Boys) was altered twice within a week, sparking debates on social media and drawing sharp reactions from political leaders, activists, and residents.
The original board, set against a dark blue background, carried the Quranic phrase “Minnaz Zulumati Ilan Noor” in Arabic, followed by the school’s name in English and Urdu, with the UDISE code in a corner. The first replacement, however, introduced a tricolour background, displayed the school name only in English, and added the phrase “Satyamev Jayate” in Roman script.
The exclusion of Urdu — an official language of Jammu and Kashmir — triggered strong responses from several quarters. After protests, the administration introduced a second change: Satyamev Jayate was reduced in size and inscribed in three scripts — Roman, Devanagari and Nastaliq. Yet, the school’s name remained written only in English.
Activist Firdous Ahmad argued for inclusivity across traditions. “There is no issue with Satyamev Jayate, but the old verses from the Quran and Vedas relate more to education than this and should not be excluded,” he said. He drew parallels between the Quranic verse “Minnaz Zulumati Ilan Noor” — “from the darkness into the light” (Quran 2:257) — and the Vedic shloka “Tamso ma jyotirgamaya” (Lead me from darkness to light), noting their shared symbolism of knowledge and enlightenment.
National Conference leader Shadab Suharwady, in a Facebook post after the first change, termed the removal of Urdu “a deliberate attempt to wipe away the linguistic and cultural identity of Jammu and Kashmir.” He accused the school administration of “erasing identities in the name of hyper-nationalism.”
Former BDC Gundna chairperson and NC leader Sarshad Natnoo called the exclusion of Urdu “an attack on our heritage and identity,” urging authorities to respect the region’s linguistic diversity.
After the second alteration, reactions remained divided. Some residents welcomed the intervention, while others continued to express concern. Doda-based lawyer Nisar Gattoo argued that instead of altering scripts, the administration should display the school name in all three languages — English, Urdu, and Hindi — in keeping with the spirit of inclusivity.
Mr. Suharwady, who had initially thanked Deputy Commissioner Harvinder Singh for his intervention, later withdrew his appreciation, stating, “I thought they were restoring the school name in Urdu. Instead, they have written Satyamev Jayate in three languages. This is not acceptable.” He demanded the restoration of the school name in all three official languages along with the JKBOSE logo.
The dispute comes against the backdrop of the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Act, 2020, which gave official status to five languages — Urdu, Hindi, English, Kashmiri and Dogri. This ended Urdu’s 131-year run as the sole official language of the region.
What began as a change of paint on a school board has thus snowballed into a broader debate about language, identity, and representation in Jammu and Kashmir’s public institutions.
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Anzer Ayoob is the Founder and Chief Editor to The Chenab Times
