The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on Sunday issued notices to the Telangana chief secretary and the state’s director general of police, seeking an action-taken report within 15 days over alleged derogatory remarks made by IAS officer Dr V S Alagu Varshini against Scheduled Caste students in Gurukul schools.
Varshini, Secretary of the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TGSWREIS), sparked controversy after an audio clip went viral last week. In the recording, she is heard instructing principals to assign cleaning tasks—such as tidying hostel rooms and toilets, to students at social welfare schools.
The directive triggered sharp criticism from several quarters, with opposition leaders accusing the officer of caste-based discrimination and insensitivity. Former TGSWREIS secretary and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader Dr R S Praveen Kumar condemned the remarks and questioned whether similar duties were expected of the chief minister’s own children. He demanded Varshini’s immediate removal, accusing her of targeting Dalit students.
“These orders are outrageous and reflect a regressive mindset. She is even threatening parents who raise concerns,” Praveen Kumar posted on X.
BRS MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha also criticised the state government, sharing the audio clip on social media. She claimed that during the previous BRS regime, each welfare school was granted Rs 40,000 per month to hire cleaning staff—funding that has allegedly been discontinued by the Congress-led government from May this year.
Kavitha alleged that assistant caretaker posts in 240 schools had also been scrapped, pushing students into roles such as wardens and kitchen helpers. “Now the officer is forcing children to clean toilets. This violates child rights and undermines the very purpose of Gurukul institutions, which were created to protect marginalised students from caste and class biases, ” she wrote.
Defending her remarks, Varshini said her intent was to instil self-reliance among students from extremely poor backgrounds. “Why can’t they clean their own toilets? This is part of growing up,” she said in the audio. “I cannot provide luxury. Once they leave school, they must be able to manage on their own.”
In another audio shared with the media, Varshini appealed for her words not to be taken out of context or politicised. She rejected allegations of a staff shortage and argued that students helping with daily chores is a part of holistic development.
The NCSC has taken cognisance of the issue amid rising public outcry and political backlash, as the debate deepens over the balance between discipline and dignity in residential welfare schools.