By Matters India Reporter
Bhopal: The Catholic Church in central India on January 16 expressed relief after police thwarted attempts by Hindu radicals to storm a Catholic college.
Police arrested some 30 activists, who defied prohibitory orders and tried to enter St Mary’s PG (Post Graduation) College in Vidisha and pay obeisance to the deified form of India.
Updesh Rana, leader of the Vishwa Sanatan Sangh (world family of eternal religion), had threatened to perform “aarti” to Bharat Mata (Mother India) in the premises of the college of Sagar diocese in Vidisha, some 55 km northeast of Bhopal, the state capital.
Rana had on January 4 tried to perform the ritual inside the college, but was foiled.
The Hindu radical had also urged his supporters across the state to take part in it as “a patriotic duty.”
“The police had made elaborate security arrangement and did not allow anyone with doubtful integrity to enter the college premises or come near to it,” director Father Shaju Devassy told Matters India.
The police arrested Rana as soon as he entered the town and 29 others, who tried to defy the prohibitory order and headed toward the college.
“We arrested Rana as soon as he entered Vidisha town under different sections. It was a preventive arrest,” said Superintendent of Police (SP) Vineet Kapoor. Besides him, we have also arrested 29 activists on their way to the college to perform the aarti, he told media persons.
More than 300 security personnel were also deployed in the town to ensure peace.
Earlier on Jan. 4, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyathi Parishad (All India Student Council), the student wing of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party created ruckus in the school campus and outside insisting on performing “aarti” of Bharat Mata in the 18-year-old college.
Their attempt was part of a December 30 threat issued to the school management after it denied them permission to perform aarti on the ground that the college did permit any religious activity in its premises.
On January 15, the principal bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, heard a writ petition filed on behalf of the Catholic diocesan schools seeking protection to their institutions.
The state government gave a verbal undertaking in the court that it would provide security to the college in question. The matter will come up for hearing on Jan 17 to decide restraining the trouble makers across the state.
The Catholic Church leaders thanked the district administration including police department for taking pro-active step to maintain law and order.
“We are grateful the district administration, the police department and all others helped to establish the rule of law, noted Father Devassy.
Church education institutions have increasingly come under attack from the right wing Hindu groups on the plea of promoting patriotism.
On Jan 15 Hindu activists threatened to storm St Joseph Convent School, at Namli, Ratlam district in Madhya Pradesh over an alleged patriotic row. Police, however foiled their attempt.
The Hindu radicals accused the school management of not allowing student to raise patriotic slogan – Bharat mata ki jai. The school management denied the charge.
On the same day, Rajput Karni Sena activists stormed into the annual function of St Paul school at Jaora, also in Ratlam district, and ransacked it over the dance performance of a little girl in the tune of Ghoomar song from the controversial Hindi movie Padmavati.
The police swung into action and arrested four persons from among some 25 hooligans. They seemed to have attacked the school mistaking its name of St Paul as a Christian school. The school does not belong to any Christian group.