By Matters India Reporter
Pune, July 6, 2023: A mob has attacked the principal of a private high school in the western Indian city of Pune.
The incident took place on July 4 when a group of parents, accompanied by the members Bajrang Dal, assaulted the principal of the D Y Patil High School for allegedly singing a school prayer with the phrase “Dear Lord.”
The school, established in 2002, is situated in Pune’s Talegaon Dabhade area.
The attack was captured by some school staff and it went viral forcing the police to intervene. The video shows the principal Alexander Coates Reid, a Christian, being chased by some 30 people who shouted “Har Har Mahadev.”
The newindianexpress.com reported that the mob attacked Reid and the police booked him for forcing the students to take part Christian prayers.
It also reported that several parents had complained about their children being forced to recite Christian prayer. They also said that the students were not given holidays for Hindu festivals.
Another allegation against Reid was that he had installed CCTV cameras inside the girls’ washrooms.
However, the wire.in portal quoted an official from the Talegaon police station to say that Reid was a “strict teacher” and a few parents were waiting to confront him. “They decided to make an issue out of a non-issue, involve local vigilante groups and attack the principal,” said Police Inspector Ranjit Sawant.
Sawant also said the attack was preplanned. The group had earlier approached the school against the installation of the CCTV camera in the passage outside the school toilet.
“This, the parents and the Hindutva activist twisted into something perverse. They claimed cameras have been set up inside the toilet. Which is untrue,” Sawant said. After the parents objected to the cameras, the school management agreed to remove them.
The news portal also reported that the group had problem with the prayer mentioned in the school calendar. Sawant says the prayer does not mention any specific religion. “It only mentions the words, ‘Dear Lord’,” Sawant said. The Hindutva group wanted that prayer removed from the school book and the management promised into the matter.
In the attack, Reid’s clothes were torn.
However, neither Reid nor the school management has complained to the police, Sawant said.
The mob visited the police station with a formal complaint after the attack.
“We have not converted their complaint into an FIR. On visiting the school, and looking at the evidence, it is clear that Ried was targeted because of his Christian identity. There is no evidence pointing to the allegation that he was involved in religious conversion or sexual harassment of girl children, as alleged in the complaint submitted to the police,” Sawant said.
The video shows that a person (Principal of that school) is being beaten by a mob DY Patil High School in Pune. The mob was chanting “Har, Har Mahadev”. We cannot justify what the mob did inside that school campus.
What type of Christian prayer was printed in the school diary? Did the Principal force the students to recite Christian prayer? Did he not grant leave to students on Hindu festival? We do not know these facts fully. However, this incident can be taken as a lesson by all Christian schools.
It is a fact that a vast majority of students in Christian/Catholic schools belong to other religions. Yet, many Catholic/Christian schools make ALL students to recite Christian prayers and sing Christian songs (especially the prayer and song of the Patron Saint of the school) during the assembly. Such prayers and songs are printed in the school diary. The students do all these “out of obedience”.
One may ask, “What is wrong in making children to recite Christian prayers? Why should non-Christian parents send their children to Christian schools?” This may be the viewpoint of the school management. Just because the non-Christian parents send their children to Catholic/Christian schools, the school management should not take an advantage of making all students to recite Christian prayers or sing Christian songs. All students and parents may not take this in a positive sense.
Hence, a few practical suggestions:
1) Catechism, Mass and Christian Prayers must be conducted ONLY for Catholic students. It is sad to note that in many hostels (attached to Catholic schools) ALL children are made to attend the daily Mass!?! This must be avoided.
2) In the School Diaries, only inter-religious prayers and songs could be printed.
3) During the school assembly, ONLY inter-religious prayers and songs could be used.
4) Set up a common Prayer Room and keep Scriptures of all religions (Like Bhagavad Gita, Quran, Bible, Guru Granth Sahib etc.) so that the students are free to read their own Scripture and pray.
5) Celebrate all religious festivals with equal importance.
We are aware of the Hindutva-agenda of the RSS-driven BJP government. Secularism is under threat. The present political atmosphere is not very conducive for religious freedom. Keeping this in mind the Catholic/Christian schools must take all precautions to ensure a “secular or inter-religious atmosphere” within the school campus.
D.Y. Patil High School, Talegaon Pune is not a Missionary or Christian school where students are made to recite certain prayers. The school is a private, co-educational school. The founder principal is Dr Sushant Patil who was a Padmashree recipient and the former governor of Bihar, Tripura and West Bengal.
Hate crimes against a Christian now even in a non-Christian school. All part of Hindu Rashtra. Fasten your seat beslts, much more turbulence ahead!!