November 2025
A brief act of prayer by a small group of students at Ideal College in Kalyan has ignited a campus controversy, raising questions of institutional rules, religious obligation —and how outside groups respond.
According to media reports, three pharmacy‑department students offered the Muslim prayer (Salaah) inside an unused classroom on the college campus. The video of the act spread on social media, prompting a reaction from members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal, who arrived at the college, objected to the students’ action and demanded an apology.
The college administration stated that the students had prayed “for a few minutes” in an unused classroom, and that the act was “unauthorised” under institutional rules which bar religious activities on campus. According to the administration, the students did not intend to cause controversy or offend anyone’s sentiments.
After the video went viral, the protesting groups insisted on an apology. Some reports say the students were made to perform physical gestures (such as holding their ears) and to touch the feet of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in front of activists chanting “Jai Shri Ram”. An internal college inquiry followed, during which the students acknowledged the prayer and apologised to both the college authorities and the visitor activists.
Campus law‐enforcement, specifically the local Hill Line Police, visited the campus to maintain order but no First Information Report (FIR) has been filed so far. The college says it will take disciplinary action and strengthen monitoring to prevent future religious activity inside classrooms.
Outlook
In the immediate term, the college says it will tighten monitoring and enforce rules. For the students involved, the apology may allow them to continue their studies without formal legal action. But broader than this single case is the question of how campuses will handle religious obligations of faith adhering students, and whether institutional policies need clearer, equitable frameworks.
If no FIR is filed, the matter may be treated internally rather than through criminal law—but the social and reputational effects for the students and college will linger.
