Hyderabad: An alleged viral audio clip of Telangana IAS officer, Dr S Alagu Varshini, who serves as the secretary for the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TGSWREIS), has escalated into a political storm with the Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) calling the Revanth Reddy government ‘anti-Dalit.’
However, the Telangana IAS officer speaking to Siasat.com reiterated her stand and stressed the importance of students taking hygiene seriously, including cleaning their rooms and toilets without hesitation.
TGSWREIS meet
On May 22, the TGSWREIS secretary held a preparatory Zoom meeting with Gurukul principals to discuss issues and plan for the upcoming academic year.
The meeting discussed food poisoning cases, rampant during the first half of 2025, but since then have gradually declined with better kitchen functioning, dining areas, procurement of ingredients, stock-taking and hygiene standards.
A Gurukul principal informed the TGSWREIS secretary that they had been receiving constant complaints from the sanitation staff about finding used sanitary napkins inside the toilets.
Responding to the concerns, Varshini emphasised the importance of students taking hygiene seriously and encouraged them to clean their rooms and toilets without hesitation. She said this practice would help them become responsible citizens in the future.
“They must do the room cleaning,” Varshini allegedly said. “Who will clean their rooms? If a sweeper can do it once, why can’t the students do it on other occasions? Similarly, why can’t they clean their own toilets? What is wrong with it?”
Another principal pointed out incidents where parents turned violent against school authorities. To which Varshini said, “Such incidents will not be tolerated. A show-cause notice will be sent to them.”
Following the meeting, a circular was issued on May 23, informing that from the next academic year, Gurukul schools students between Class 8 and Class 12 will constitute a team of mess monitors, diet managers and hygiene monitors. Every student will be required to spend at least 20 hours a year on the roles.
Politics of slander
On May 28, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha released a four-minute audio clip from the three-hour meeting on her X account, expressing ‘shock’ at the IAS officer’s behaviour. She alleged that the TGSWREIS secretary reportedly asked “Dalit students to clean the toilets.”
“The government has also done away with having assistant caretakers in the 240 schools, forcing the students to take up the role of wardens and manage kitchens. Now the officer is forcing children to clean toilets in schools!!” she said.
Calling the Congress government anti-Dalit, Kavitha said, “This behaviour is discriminatory, exploitative, and violates basic principles of child rights and dignity. It only reflects the Revanth Reddy government’s anti-poor, anti-Dalit attitude!! I demand that the government immediately take steps to remove the officer and start giving the required funds to run the social welfare schools properly.”
Former TGSWREIS secretary and BRS leader RS Praveen Kumar also accused the Telangana IAS officer of discriminating against Dalits, pointing out that a majority of students in Gurukul schools belong to the community.
A certain section of the media also shared the purported audio clip, giving it an anti-Dalit spin.
On June 1, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes issued notices to the Telangana chief secretary and the director general of police regarding the alleged remarks by the IAS officer and sought an action-taken report within 15 days.
Look at it positively, appeals Telangana IAS officer
The alleged audio clip has exploded into a political firestorm in Telangana. On May 25, the IAS officer released an audio, maintaining her stand on the importance of Gurukul students learning hygiene standards.
“I would like to make it clear to my media friends that the meeting discussed not only providing quality education, but also helping students understand the value of responsibility, which will positively shape their decision-making in the future,” she said.
“Gurukul students will be assigned these responsibilities for a maximum of one hour. So the idea of this being a hindrance to their education is false. I request to look at these initiatives as a positive change. It is a holistic learning environment for students. At the same time, students running the mess should be looked at positively,” she said.
Below is the whole audio clip
‘I stand by my words’
Despite facing criticism, the IAS officer stands by her words, reiterating the importance of instilling cleanliness and responsibility among Gurukul students in Telangana.
Speaking to Siasat.com, she said, “When these children complete Class 12 and return home, they may find themselves in difficult circumstances like dealing with alcoholic parents, families migrating for work, or sick members to care for. Some may not even get three meals a day. In such situations, these students cannot simply refuse to help at home. Our institutions must focus on the holistic development of children.”
TGSWREIS public relations officer, Amruth Rao, backed the IAS officer. Speaking to Siasat.com, Rao said, “It’s not just Dalit students who study in Gurukuls. There are BCs, STs, minorities, and even OCs in every classroom. If she made a statement, how does it apply only to Dalits and not to other economically backwards students?”
Sources in the government said that the IAS officer is fully supported by the Telangana CM, Revanth, and his deputy, Bhatti Vikramarka. They have advised her not to respond to the criticism, as they believe she has done nothing wrong.
Ex-Gurukul student recalls hostel duties as part of routine
N Deepika, a former Gurukul student from Isnapur, Sangareddy district reminisced about her school days from 2011. She told Siasat.com that students have always been a part of management. “We were made mess leaders, tasked with checking the snack quality, like bananas, samosas and other refreshments. Students were also made health leaders who would report sick children to the in-house nurse and even accompany them to the hospital if necessary,” Deepika said.
Deepika also stated that students cleaning toilets is not a new thing. “We would be required to clean our toilets if the sanitation staff were on leave. We used to clean our classrooms also,” she added.
A mother of two daughters, Deepika presently works as a nursing officer in a government hospital. Despite being primary school children, her daughters have been raised in a way that they would voluntarily help their parents in some cleaning works at home, though not in cleaning toilets.
| 
