Telangana school vandalised, principal beaten up during right-wing protest
The management insisted that the principal had only asked the students to come with their parents after seeing that some students were not in school uniform
A Church-run school in Telangana’s Mancherial district was vandalised and its principal beaten by a Hindu mob protesting against an alleged bar on students wearing saffron dress as part of a religious ritual.
Authorities at the Blessed Mother Teresa High School in Kannepalli village, about 250 km from Hyderabad, denied preventing students from entering the school and said they only wanted to meet their parents over the failure to wear school uniform.
Principal attacked
But with rumours circulating that students in saffron were stopped from taking an exam, a crowd stormed the school shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ on Tuesday, broke furniture, windows and flower pots, and also thrashed the principal, Jaimon Joseph.
Some men also forcibly applied ‘tilak’ on the principal’s forehead.
The violence continued even as many teachers with folded hands urged the crowd to end the mayhem.
Complaint, counter-complaint
Media reports quoted some unnamed parents as saying that the students were wearing saffron as part of a 21-day religious observance.
Following a complaint by the parents of the students, a case was registered on Wednesday against the school for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race and insulting religious feelings.
Those who attacked the school have been charged with voluntarily causing hurt and mischief, trespassing, criminal intimidation as well as unlawful assembly.
Teresa statue
The school management insisted that the principal had only asked the students to come with their parents after seeing that students were not wearing the school uniform.
Police personnel who rushed to the scene removed the protesters from the school. One video of the trouble showed the mob stoning a statue of Mother Teresa in the school campus.
The school named four suspects and others for baring in and wrongfully restraining and physically assaulting the principal.
Principal’s version
Joseph, a member of the Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (MCBS) which runs the school, said false news was spread on the social media leading to over 500 people reaching the school on Tuesday.
“The attack on the school continued for nearly four hours and we suspect it was pre-planned,” he told The Indian Express.
Mob violence
He said the students were told on Monday that they have to get permission to arrive in saffron clothes.
“Had their parents even telephoned us, we would have granted the permission. On Tuesday morning, one of the students came in saffron and we did not stop him. By then, a huge mob came and attacked us,” he said.
