(UCAN): A Catholic school was vandalized and a priest assaulted by a hardline Hindu group in Telangana state, southern India. The attack occurred after some students were questioned for attending classes in religious costumes instead of school uniforms.
The mob, dressed in saffron shirts and with shawls around their necks, forcefully entered St. Mother Teresa English Medium School in Kannepally village in Mancherial district on April 16.
While chanting “Jai Shri Ram” [hail lord Ram], they broke windows and flower pots and pelted stones at the statue of St. Mother Teresa at the main gates. They then staged a sit-in inside the school premises.
The mob also attacked Father Jaimon Joseph, the school manager and a member of the Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament.
“Some of them slapped and threw punches at me while others attacked me from behind,” Father Joseph said on April 17.
The mob, dressed in saffron shirts and with shawls around their necks, forcefully entered St. Mother Teresa English Medium School in Kannepally village in Mancherial district on April 16
The mob accused the school management of not allowing Hindu students to wear their religious dress, which was described as a misleading allegation.
“The school principal found a few students attending classes wearing religious dress and questioned them,” Father Joseph said, adding that they informed the principal that it was part of a 21-day special religious observance.
He had requested parents to come to school to learn more. However, a student uploaded a video accusing the principal and priest of banning religious dress.
“As the video footage circulated on social media, close to 1,000 people reached the school and vandalised it,” the priest said.
The school management has filed a complaint with the local police, but the police have instead registered a case against the school management for hurting religious sentiments. No arrests have been made yet.
The anti-conversion laws prohibit change of religion or any attempt to convert from one religion to another through misrepresentation, use of threat or force, fraud, undue influence, coercion, allurement, or marriage
“Legal recourse will be taken to deal with the case,” Father Joseph added.
Meanwhile in a related development,cRelease International, a UK-based Christian advocacy group, urged India to repeal the sweeping anti-conversion laws enacted by about a dozen states after the national polls.
The group, which supports persecuted Churches worldwide, said: cWe have seen a dramatic rise in intolerance towards Christians since the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] first came to power in 2014.”
Eleven Indian states, most of them governed by the BJP, have anti-conversion laws in place. Polls for the lower house [Lok Sabha] India’s parliament are being conducted in seven phases, starting April 19. The results will be declared on June 4.
Paul Robinson, chief executive officer of Release International, urged India to act immediately to halt the spread of intolerance and repeal anti-conversion laws after the polls.
The anti-conversion laws prohibit change of religion or any attempt to convert from one religion to another through misrepresentation, use of threat or force, fraud, undue influence, coercion, allurement, or marriage.
We have seen a dramatic rise in intolerance towards Christians since the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] first came to power in 2014
Release International
These laws fly in the face of India’s constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion, Robinson noted on April 15.
“These laws prevent Christians from sharing their faith with others,” he said.
Quoting a report compiled by the Evangelical Fellowship of India [EFI], a Protestant group, Release International said pastors are beaten up, churches are attacked and prayer meetings are disrupted by hardline Hindu groups. According to the report, published on March 21, violence against Christians increased from 413 in 2022 to 601 in 2023.
“The rapidly deteriorating situation in India is a matter of grave concern,” said Vijayesh Lal, EFI general secretary.
Uttar Pradesh, tye most populous state governed by the BJP, emerged at the top with 279 cases and Chhattisgarh in central India witnessed 132 cases, while Haryana, the northern Indian state, recorded 43 incidents.
The anti-conversion law is in full force in these three states.
“What we’re seeing in India is the rise in right-wing militancy, underpinned by intolerance from the state,” Robinson added.
Release International has a presence in 25 countries across the globe.
