Fact Check: Claim on Karnataka Government’s Self-Defence Classes for Muslim Girls Is False

Created By: NewsMeter

Co-Published By: LokmatTimes.com

A post claiming that the Karnataka government is offering self-defence classes only to girls from the Muslim community went viral on social media after the state budget was presented by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on March 7, 2025. The post, shared on Facebook by the page "India Against Anti-Nationals" on March 14, contained a misleading image and text. The claim stated, “Hindu girl Swati brutally murdered in Karnataka… One culprit Nayaz arrested by police… Irony is, in his budget, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah has announced to give self-defence training only to girls from the Muslim community!!”

However, NewsMeter has found this claim to be false. The self-defence training program announced by CM Siddaramaiah is for girls from various minority communities, not just Muslim girls. The post also mentioned the death of a Hindu girl named Swati, whose tragic death occurred in Karnataka's Haveri district. According to an India Today report, Swati, aged 22, was found dead in the Tungabhadra River on March 6, 2025. The police arrested Nayaz, aged 28, from Hirekerur town in the district on March 13. Nayaz confessed to the crime and stated that he was assisted by two other individuals, Durga Chari Badiger and Vinayak Pujar.

In order to verify the details of the self-defence announcement, NewsMeter examined Siddaramaiah's budget statement. On March 8, 2025, a report by The New Indian Express titled "Train ’em young: Self-defence for 25k girls in 169 educational institutes in Karnataka" outlined the program. The report confirmed that the self-defence training would be provided to 25,000 girl students in 169 residential schools and colleges run by the Directorate of Minorities.

An additional report from Economic Times on March 7, 2025, also confirmed that the training program was part of the budget plan. The official budget document for Karnataka's 2025-2026 fiscal year included the statement: “Self-defence skills training will be provided to 25,000 girl students studying in 169 residential schools/colleges run by the Directorate of Minorities.”

According to the Directorate of Minorities' official website, the term "minorities" in Karnataka includes Muslims, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs, and Parsis. The Directorate was established in 1999-2000 to focus on issues related to these minority communities. Based on this information, it is clear that the self-defence training announced by CM Siddaramaiah is intended for girls from various minority communities, not just the Muslim community. Therefore, the viral claim that the program targets only Muslim girls is false.

Conclusion: The claim that self-defence training is being offered only to girls from the Muslim community is incorrect. The program is designed for girls from multiple minority communities in Karnataka.

This story was originally published by NewsMeter  republished by LokmatTimes.com  as part of the Shakti Collective.