Telangana IAS Officer to Principals: Make Students Clean Toilets — "They’re Not From Posh Families Where Food Appears at a Snap!"

Hyderabad – A major controversy has engulfed Telangana’s social welfare education system following the viral spread of an audio clip on May 28, 2025, purportedly featuring Dr. V.S. Alugu Varshini, a 2012-batch IAS officer and Secretary of the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TGSWREIS). In the clip, Dr. Varshini is allegedly heard instructing school principals to assign students cleaning duties, including washing toilets and maintaining hostel rooms, as part of their daily routine. The remarks, which have drawn widespread condemnation, have ignited a fierce debate about caste discrimination, child rights, and the role of the Gurukul system in uplifting marginalized communities.

The Controversial Audio Clip

The audio, which surfaced on social media platforms, reportedly captures Dr. Varshini speaking at a recent review meeting with school principals. She is heard defending the assignment of cleaning tasks—such as sweeping floors, cleaning blackboards, washing toilets, and even cooking meals—as part of the state government’s “holistic education” model. “If any parent objects, tell them it is my order,” she allegedly said, criticizing principals for hesitating to implement these tasks due to fear of parental backlash.

Dr. Varshini is said to have justified the directive by arguing that students, primarily from underprivileged and marginalized communities, do not come from “posh families where food appears at the snap of a finger.” She emphasized that such tasks teach essential life skills, claiming students would spend no more than 20 hours over six months on these activities, which she described as “not hard labour.”

In the clip, Dr. Varshini reportedly cited her own experience as a student performing similar duties, referring to it as Shram Daan (voluntary service), and encouraged principals to share images of students performing such tasks in their groups as an example. She also addressed a specific instance where a student was asked to make rotis, questioning, “What’s wrong with that?” and suggesting it was a valuable learning experience. Furthermore, she allegedly warned that parents who threaten school staff over these tasks could face consequences, including show-cause notices and the potential expulsion of their children.

The remarks have been widely criticized for their insensitivity and perceived reinforcement of caste-based stereotypes, particularly as they target students from Scheduled Castes (SC) attending TGSWREIS institutions, which were established to provide quality education and uplift marginalized communities.

The viral audio clip sparked an immediate and intense reaction on social media, particularly on X, where users condemned Dr. Varshini’s remarks as exploitative and reflective of a “Manuvadi mindset” within the bureaucracy.

The opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) swiftly condemned Dr. Varshini’s remarks, with MLC K. Kavitha labeling them “anti-poor” and exploitative. Kavitha highlighted that under the previous BRS government, each welfare school received ₹40,000 monthly to hire four temporary workers for cleaning tasks, a funding allocation she claimed was withdrawn by the Congress government since August 2024. She also noted that assistant caretakers were removed from 240 schools, forcing students to take on kitchen and cleaning duties. Kavitha demanded Dr. Varshini’s immediate removal from her post and strict action to address the issue.

Dr. R.S. Praveen Kumar, a former IPS officer and ex-Secretary of TGSWREIS, who is credited with transforming social welfare schools into centers of excellence, also strongly criticized the remarks. Praveen Kumar, in a sharp post on x addressed to CM Revanth Reddy, questioned whether such directives were given without the minister's approval, pointing out the hypocrisy of imposing such measures only on underprivileged students while elite corporate schools remain unaffected. He demanded that Reddy, along with his ministers and officials, lead by example by cleaning their own toilets daily and sharing proof with the public. Additionally, he urged sanitation workers to boycott the CM’s residence in protest. The letter, dedicated to SC/ST communities, accuses the Congress government of eroding the dignity of marginalized groups while they remain subjugated. "Jai Bhim. Jai Telangana," he concluded, calling for an end to this discriminatory practice.