A teacher of a Catholic Girls’ convent school in Mangaluru was terminated on Tuesday, February 13, following a police complaint accusing her of religious conversion and making insulting remarks about Hindu Gods.
The police complaint was filed by a parent, whose child is a student in the school. The parent stated that the teacher was ‘diffusing poison against Hindu Gods’ by telling students that Lord Ram is a mythological figure.
The complainant further said that the concerned teacher has been spreading “misinformation against Prime Minister Narendra Modi” and spoke about the 2002 Godhra Riots and Bilkis Bano case, causing “disturbance to students’ minds.”
Hindutva groups protest
On February 12, the school witnessed tense moments after a section of its students led by BJP MLA from Dakshin Kannada Vedavyas Kamath along with Hindutva groups Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) protested alleging forced religious conversion.
According to local reports, they argued with the school administration demanding that the teacher be terminated.
“If you are going to support that kind of teacher, what has happened to your moral compass? Are you going to convert the entire society and our Hindus? If not, why are you supporting that teacher?” the BJP MLA asked the school authorities.
“What did the teacher say about Lord Ram? If you can’t respect a public representative, what will you do with kids? The Jesus that you worship wishes for peace. Your sisters are asking our Hindu kids not to keep tilak, flowers, anklets, kumkumum. They say pouring milk on Lord Ram is a waste. Why are you talking like this? If someone insults our beliefs, we won’t keep quiet. If someone insults your belief, you won’t keep quiet,” he added.
Videos of the protests where several students along with the VHP and Bajrang Dal members are seen holding saffron flags and shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans.
The termination comes after Mangalore’s deputy director of public instruction (DDPI) initiated an inquiry into the matter.
