Nainital: A group of people, some wielding firearms, allegedly broke into campus of Sherwood College in Nainital in the latest standoff between Agra diocese and a group claiming to be members of Lucknow diocese.
The intruders claiming locked the administrative office and created a ruckus.
The school, whose alumni include some of the country’s top figures such as Amitabh Bachchan, is currently closed for summer vacations. The district administration and police had to intervene to evict the intruders.
Agra diocese belongs to the Protestant Church of North India, but the intruder claim they are the members of the Church of India.
Sherwood’s principal Amandeep Sandhu told The Times of India on June 25 , “They are imposters and this Church of India never had any authenticity. The way they entered the school, it was illegal, roguish and totally uncalled for. This is not the way you handle issues related to such world-class and reputed institutions.”
The incident has created ripples in the hill town, following which the administration swung into action. A complaint was registered against men who also thrashed and abused the school staff present on the campus. The principal, who was in Dehradun, had to rush to Nainital.
Rakesh Sobti, who claimed to be a member of the Lucknow diocese, said, “We have acted in the light of a Supreme Court order. We have no dispute with the staff and we are just following the law.” However, he could not provide details of the SC order or produce a copy.
“We are investigating the matter. We have to consider both the sides and it will be premature to say anything at this stage,” said HC Saati, additional superintendent of police, Nainital.
Members of the Lucknow Diocese, however, claimed that the Church of India was a splinter group which was misusing the name of Lucknow Diocese.
Bishop Peter Baldev of Lucknow Diocese told TOI, “It is true that Agra Diocese was carved out of Lucknow Diocese. But we do not recognize Church of India, which has no legal entity, and its representatives are simply misusing Lucknow Diocese’s name. In fact, one Vijay Mantode, a former principal of Sherwood College, has anointed himself as bishop of this church.”
Right Reverend PP Habil, Bishop of Agra Diocese, said, “There is no question of any territorial dispute between Diocese of Agra and Diocese of Lucknow. In fact, the Church of India that claims itself as Lucknow Diocese is a splinter group which tries to create problem unnecessarily.”
The dispute dates back to the 1970s when the school which belonged to the Lucknow Diocese was transferred to Diocese of Agra.
There was a bitter struggle to wrest control of the institution which went on for years. Later in 2014, a litigation was filed in the Uttarakhand high court by the school alleging interference by the Lucknow Diocese.
The HC in 2014 ordered that the dispute must be decided in a “competent civil court”. Later, a review petition was filed in the same single bench in 2014, which upheld its previous order citing that the matter should be decided in the competent civil court and that both the parties are at liberty to approach the court of law.