Fact Check: Viral Claim About Quran Being Mandated at Kerala Medical College Events is False and Misleading

A viral claim Circulating About Quran recitation Being Mandated at Kerala medical College Events is False and Misleading.

Claim

In a viral X post, it is claimed that Quran recitation is Mandated at Kerala College Events. The post by jpsin1 is captioned, "केरल के एक मेडिकल कॉलेज का आदेश ...हर फंक्शन की शुरुआत कुरान के पाठ से होगी ...अब इस देश मे धर्म निरपेक्षता खतरे में नही है"

The circular reads, "It has been observed that there was a lack of stipulation of prayer song recitation during major events conducted inside the campus and institution, like convocation, induction ceremony, major meetings incorporating staffs, students, parents etc.

Confined to the privileges permitted to minority institutions, as Azeezia Institute of Medical Sciences & Research comes under a minority community (muslim community), the following stipulation is implemented strictly from now onwards:

All major events like convocation, annual day meeting, induction ceremony and major public functions should have a prayer session, to begin with, by a recitation from the holy Quran and no other prayer song should substitute this in this institution.

This decision is implemented with immediate effect after having received a consensus from the Governing Council & Administrative team. This is applicable to all institutions coming under Azeezia Institute of Medical Sciences & Research and all concerned are directed to oblige with this decision hereafter."

The post has garnered 122.1K views, along with 6.9K likes, 5.1K retweets, and 348 comments. It can be accessed here.

Multiple other accounts have shared the post, which can be viewed here. Some of these posts have also been archived and are available at here and here.

Fact Check

The claim is misleading . The claim that a Kerala medical college has recently mandated Quran recitation at official events is based on an old circular that was later retracted by the said medical college . The circular in question is from 2019, not recent, and was withdrawn a day after it was issued. The official responsible for issuing it was removed from their post at the time.

Is Quran Recitation Being Mandated at Events in a Kerala Medical College?

Viral social media posts are reviving an old controversy by falsely claiming that a medical college in Kerala recently issued a directive mandating Quran recitation at institutional events. However, this claim is factually incorrect and misleading.

A closer inspection of the widely circulated circular reveals that it is dated April 18, 2019, not 2024 or 2025. A reverse image and keyword search confirmed that the same circular had gone viral back in 2019. Multiple users shared it at the time, causing a stir online.

Importantly, the circular was withdrawn on April 19, 2019, just one day after it was issued. Additionally, the medical superintendent who issued the circular was removed from his position in response to the backlash and questions over the appropriateness of including religious texts in official institutional events.

Medical Dialogues published a detailed report in May 2019 titled, "Medical College issues Circular on Controversial Circular on Religious prayer, withdraws later"

It is evident that an old circular withdrawn by a Kerala medical college just a day after its issuance was misleadingly circulated as a recent development.

Medical Dialogues Final Take

The viral claim that a Kerala medical college has recently mandated Quran recitation is misleading and based on outdated information. The circular being circulated online is from April 18, 2019, and was withdrawn within 24 hours.

Hence, the claim is false and Misleading.