Madhya Pradesh, Christian school under protection from Hindu threat
by Nirmala Carvalho
It is the fourth case since the beginning of June. The youth wing of the BJP has tried to force the St. Jude school to admit a boy to, even if there are no more places. Bishops' Conference demand the law that guarantees the rights of minorities be applied.
Khandwa (AsiaNews) - The Christian Institute St. Jude Khargone (Khandwa district, Madhya Pradesh) is under police protection, after serious threats from the youth wing of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party, the ultra-nationalist Hindu party ). The Bishops' Conference of Madhya Pradesh has sent a petition to the chief minister of the State, yesterday, to demand a meeting but it has not taken place. In the complaint, they also called for the concrete implementation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (Rte).
"The case of St. Jude High School - Fr Anand Muttungal, spokesman for the bishops' conference told AsiaNews – is the latest in a series with three other similar cases that took place in Madhya Pradesh since the beginning of June. " The schools that are the target of Hindu radicals are: Caramel Convent School (District of Bhel), the Caramel Convent Senior Secondary School (District of Ratanpur) and Campion School Bairagarh (Bhopal district).
Some activists from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (Abvp) - the youth wing of BJP - wanted to force the school to admit a boy to the fifth level, despite the fact that the dean Fr. John Victor had already explained to them that there was no availability for that class. So, since July 2 last, the Hindu radicals have carried out threats and intimidation. Only the intervention of the police dispersed the activists, but the institute is still under protection.
"In the petition - said Fr Muttungal - we also referred to violations of constitutional guarantees for minorities and their institutions, which should be enshrined in Articles 29 and 30 of the law. " The Rte, which came into force in 2010, provides free and compulsory education for all children aged 6 to 14 years.
"The case of St. Jude High School - Fr Anand Muttungal, spokesman for the bishops' conference told AsiaNews – is the latest in a series with three other similar cases that took place in Madhya Pradesh since the beginning of June. " The schools that are the target of Hindu radicals are: Caramel Convent School (District of Bhel), the Caramel Convent Senior Secondary School (District of Ratanpur) and Campion School Bairagarh (Bhopal district).
Some activists from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (Abvp) - the youth wing of BJP - wanted to force the school to admit a boy to the fifth level, despite the fact that the dean Fr. John Victor had already explained to them that there was no availability for that class. So, since July 2 last, the Hindu radicals have carried out threats and intimidation. Only the intervention of the police dispersed the activists, but the institute is still under protection.
"In the petition - said Fr Muttungal - we also referred to violations of constitutional guarantees for minorities and their institutions, which should be enshrined in Articles 29 and 30 of the law. " The Rte, which came into force in 2010, provides free and compulsory education for all children aged 6 to 14 years.
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