Who is Pakistani assassin Mumtaz Qadri? The key question in the Jalna school 'Sar Tan Se Juda' video dispute that media reportedly downplays

NewsBharati 20-Jun-2026 10:52:45 AM

Total Views |

On June 19, several media houses, including the Times of India, Hindustan Times and The Wire, allegedly attempted to downplay the incident at a school in Jalna in which the minor students were allegedly made to dance to 'Sar Tan Se Juda' songs. While reporting on the event, the media reports blatantly claimed that a few social media accounts had allegedly tampered with the visuals in the video and that the person seen behind the students dancing was from the Turkish series, Ertugral Ghazi.

Islamist Mumtaz Qadri(L), Screengrab of viral video (R)

Times of India reported, "The image shown during the performance was of an actor from Ertugral Ghazi. Some persons tampered with the visuals and circulated misleading content on social media." The media report quoted the accused school principal who rejected the video.

NDTV journalist Gargi Rawat also posted a report from Hindustan Times saying a school principal in Jalna was booked for playing a Pakistani song. "Maharashtra principal booked over ‘Pakistani’ song at school event; says music was from Turkish TV serial," she wrote on Twitter and added that the series was a popular one.

ALSO READ: Minors in Maharashtra's Jalna seen dancing on 'Sar Tan Se Juda' in school gathering; Treeni faces notice for exposing event

Even The Wire reported, saying that the school authorities were booked for playing a 'Pakistani Song'.

However, the reporting done by Times of India, Hindustan Times and The Wire is a bit questionable, as neither of them mentioned that the minors in the said school were allegedly made to dance on the 'Sar Tan Se Juda' song. They downplayed the event by stating that the school principal was booked merely for playing a Pakistani song at a school event.

Here's what the truth is:

On June 17, one of the social media handles named Treeni posted a video on Twitter (X) in which minor boys could be seen dancing to the 'Sar Tan Se Juda' song. The video emerged from a school in Maharashtra's Jalna identified as Tarique Siddiqui's friend's social club, Partur's 'Kids World English School'. The minor boys in the video could be seen waving swords (probably fake) while dancing to the song 'Sar Tan Se Juda Sar Tan Se Juda'.

ALSO READ: Jalna: Tarekh Siddiqui, Sheikh Sajid Abdul Gani, and Ujma Tabassum slapped with FIR for making minors dance to 'Gustakh-e-Nabi Ki Ek Saza' at school

The Maharashtra Police sent a notice to the social media handle on June 18, saying that the 'account holder disseminated the video by creating and spreading a false narrative with the ulterior motive of disturbing communal harmony and inciting Hindu-Muslim riots'.

Meanwhile, the Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) took cognizance of the event and stated that instead of taking action against the school that is promoting the Jihadi notion of Sar Tan Se Juda, the Maharashtra Police is taking action against the one who is exposing the dangerous mindset.

Also, Treeni, the social media handle facing the notice, said that the country's future should not be made to dance to such songs. "Making children — the future of this country — dance on 'Sar Tan Se Juda' is alarming. And instead of agencies taking action, it's shocking to see that the police are trying to brush the whole matter under the carpet by trying to intimidate us. This is unacceptable, and we won't be deleting the post," Treeni said while exclusively talking to Newsbharati.

ALSO READ: After 'Gustakh-e-Nabi Ki Ek Saza', another school in Jalna shows minors in burqa dancing to an Islamic song, video viral

Later, several BJP leaders like Kirit Somaiya and Babanrao Lonikar and several other social media accounts began raising their voice demanding action against the school, following which three persons from the school, Principal Mohammad Vajiyoddin Tarekh Siddiqui, Teacher Sheikh Sajid Abdul Gani, and Anchor Ujma Tabassum, were booked.

As per the FIR obtained by Newsbharati, the charges imposed against the accused persons are promoting religious enmity, threatening national integrity, inciting public mischief, and common criminal intention. The complaint copy mentioned that the school principal demanded the shooting of the video. It was also mentioned in the complaint that it was the Principal who selected the song for the dance and also uploaded it on the school's YouTube channel of the school. The said statements were made by one of the teachers during interrogation, employed at the school.

However, after the backlash, the school's principal allegedly deleted the school's YouTube channel and claimed that he was being framed by a few people merely for playing a 'Pakistani' song at a school event. The mainstream media allegedly reported his say but failed to state that the song played during the event was 'Sar Tan Se Juda,' which is an Islamic war cry, allegedly raised by Islamists against alleged blasphemy.

Reports like Times of India and Hindustan Times also claimed that the visuals running in the background while the students danced at the school event were from a Turkish series, Ertugral Ghazi, and that social media accounts claimed that it was Pakistani assassin Mumtaz Qadri. The media probably failed to look at the original video, in which at the 4.23 time frame, Qadri's lookalike image can be seen on the left side.

The media also allegedly failed to report the main concern that the minor students who are going to be the future of the country were taught the values of 'Sar Tan Se Juda,' which is an Islamic war cry called out by the Allahabad Court. In 2025, the Allahabad High Court also held that this slogan does not fall within the scope of freedom of speech and constitutes hate speech. According to the court, this slogan challenges the rule of law, sovereignty, and integrity of India because it incites people to armed rebellion and violence. Further, they reported the school principal's claim rejecting the accusations imposed by the State Police. What is selective reporting if not this?

The school has deleted its YouTube channel on which this video was posted. However, a screen recording of the same video is making rounds on social media, in which it can be seen that it was posted on 28th February 2026, one day before the death anniversary of Qadri, who murdered Salmaan Taseer, Governor of Punjab in Pakistan. Is this just a coincidence?

The way sections of the Indian media, including TOI and journalists like Gargi Rawat, framed this story is exactly why public trust in the media is collapsing.

Instead of focusing on the core controversy, the narrative was reduced to a “Pakistani song” headline.

The action was…
— Treeni (@treeni) June 19, 2026

Who is Mumtaz Qadri, and why is his image in the controversial video a problem?

In the year 2011, Pakistan's Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer was brutally murdered by Qadri for being an outspoken critic of the country's harsh blasphemy laws. Taseer, who was one of the most prominent liberal politicians in the country, argued that blasphemy laws discriminated against religious minorities and sought liberal reforms. This is after he called for a pardon for Asia Bibi, a Christian woman who was sentenced to death in 2010 for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

Mumtaz Qadri is hailed as a hero by some Islamist groups

Qadri, who was a police bodyguard to Taseer, shot the politician at an Islamabad market in January 2011. Later, his son, Shahbaz Taseer, was abducted in Lahore. His whereabouts are still unclear. Later, Qadri claimed it was his religious duty to kill the minister, who was an outspoken critic of Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws and supported liberal reforms. He was awarded the death penalty in 2011, and he never regretted the killing.

Salman Taseer, Governor of Pakistan who was killed by Qadri (BBC)

Even today, he is hailed as a hero by some Islamist groups and thousands of hard-line Islamist activists. However, his portrayal as a 'hero' in a small town like Partur from Jalna, Maharashtra is surprising. Several questions come up, like why people, even Islamists in Jalna, have a soft corner for Qadri, who raised his voice against government acts allegedly protecting minorities against blasphemy in Pakistan.

Past Sar Tan Se Juda incidents in Maharashtra

In a major incident from 2022 in Amravati, Maharashtra, a pharmacist, Umesh Kolhe, was stabbed to death for extending support to former BJP leader Nupur Sharma, accused of making alleged blasphemous remarks on national TV. The police arrested several people, including the prime accused, Irfan Khan, who, according to them, admitted to killing Kolhe for what he posted about Nupur Sharma.

In 2022, local police filed an FIR against 8 to 10 Islamists for raising the Sar Tan Se Juda slogans during an Eid Milad-un-Nabi procession in the Amravati rural area.

In 2024, protests in Pune over statements by Ramgiri Maharaj drew large crowds, prompting police investigations into provocative sloganeering, including Sar Tan Se Juda chants. Chants were also raised praising Islamic invader Tipu Sultan.

In the given case, all the proofs are in possession of Newsbharati. The Jalna Police is thoroughly investigating the matter. Further updates in the matter are awaited.

Pakistan Mumtaz Qadri Sar Tan Se Juda Jalna