Mangalore: BJP against nun for citing a verse by Tagore
Hindu nationalists launch another campaign against a Catholic school. An English teacher suspended to reduce tensions at St Gerosa School after she was accused of making insulting remarks about Hindus and the new temple in Ayodhya. In fact, she was simply explaining to her class a few words from a poem by the great Indian author.
Mangalore (AsiaNews) - In the run-up to this spring's Indian elections, hardly a day goes by without Hindu nationalists mounting a new case against a Catholic school.
The latest one involves the St Gerosa English School, an establishment run by the Sisters of Maria Bambina in Mangalore, in the Indian state of Karnataka.
Here the superior was forced to suspend a fellow nun, Sr Prabha, who has been targeted in the past few days by a social media campaign exploited by some local politicians of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the party of nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The nun was accused of uttering insulting phrases towards Hindus in class and criticising the majestic temple just inaugurated by Prime Minister Modi in Ayodhya, at the centre of a long-running feud with Muslims that culminated in the destruction of the mosque that once stood in the temple’s place.
Nationalist politicians staged a hostile protest against the Sister outside the school, urging students to chant Jai Shri Ram, the acclamation to Ram that the nationalists have turned into their rallying cry.
Officials from the Department of Education carried out an inspection, while a member of the state legislative assembly personally threatened the teachers. A complaint has been filed in the matter and is now being investigated by the local police.
The Diocese of Mangalore has also waded into the controversy, asking that full light be shed on what really happened. In fact, closer scrutiny shows that the accusations are part a certain agenda.
In her 7th grade class, the English teacher was simply presenting a poem by the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, which is also part of the Karnataka school curriculum.
She was simply explaining the meaning of a verse that reads: “Whom dost thou worship in this lonely dark corner of the temple with doors all shut?” She didn't say anything offensive about Hinduism, as claimed by some on social media.
In light of the situation, the Diocese of Mangalore has called on the Department of Minorities, the Department of Child Welfare, and the Commission for Women to conduct a fair investigation while safeguarding the Sister’s “dignity as a teacher and a woman;” it also urged “all concerned to protect the interests of minorities, women, and children.”
For its part, the St Gerosa English School suspended the teacher as a precautionary measure, to calm things down.
“St Gerosa School, with a 60-year history, has not witnessed such an incident before. The institution is committed to upholding constitutional values, treating all faiths and communities with equality,” the school said in a statement.
It went on to say: “Despite the temporary mistrust resulting from this unfortunate incident, the school is optimistic that the decisive measures taken, coupled with active cooperation from parents, will contribute to rebuilding trust and fostering a brighter future for all students.”
.png)
23/12/2021 14:20
