Acting on a complaint from Legal Rights Observatory, NCPCR @NCPCR_ issued notice to SP Kanyakumari @kumari_police for not acting against forced #Christian religious conversion of school kids. Hindu Munnani @hindumunnaniorg had raised d issue but Tamil Nadu Police @tnpoliceoffl refused to act. NCPCR in an order seeking directions to Kanyakumari District Police to register an FIR against the teacher of Govt. High School, under sections of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 for imposing corporal punishment on students who refuse to read the Bible on her instructions.
In Kanyakumari where a government school teacher allegedly proselytizing a 6th standard student and made objectionable remarks about Hindus, Bhagirathi Gita and indulged in preaching Christianity to her students.
Only a few months ago, a girl studying in 12th standard in Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, Thirukattupali in Thanjavur ended her life after she was allegedly tortured by her school authorities for refusing to convert to Christianity. After HC order, the matter is being probed by CBI following TN government’s powerful evangelical controlled DMK government tried to pass it off as a normal incident. There have been incidents of sexual assaults on students and teachers in Christian run schools in the state and Hindu places of worship are being targeted for demolition on flimsy ground without following due process of law. Christian pastors and missionaries openly claimed that it was their alms (votes) DMK is in power. TN CM MK Stalin openly acknowledged this a pre-Christmas event that it is their government and would fulfill their all demands. .
Like Lavanya, a Kanyakumari based girl student’s viral that has been in circulation since 13th is a topic of debate in all fora in the state. In the video a six standard was saying Beatrice Thangam, who works as a tailoring and sewing teacher at the Government Higher Secondary school located in Kannattuvilai of Kanyakumari district, has been teaching Christianity in classes. A class 6 in the school can be heard in the video, accusing her teacher Beatrice Thangam of derogating Hindus as ‘Satan‘ (devil) and glorifying Christianity.
“ Sewing Teacher asks us to read the Bible. We told her that we are Hindus and we read only Bhagavad Gita. She told that Bhagavad Gita is bad and not to read. She asked us to read the Bible as it had good philosophy and would tell us stories from it.” The student tells in the video. The girl student also says in the video that the teacher told stories about a Christian and a ‘Satan’, referring to Hindus Gods as devils.
To a question whether only she was subjected for such forced conversion, the student says that the teacher does it with all Hindu students. She also says that the teacher makes students stitch the Christian Cross and forces them to kneel down and recite Christian prayers. District Education Officer (DEO) Pugazendhi made an initial inquiry and suspended the teacher, who is accused of promoting Christianity inside the classroom and attempting religious conversion.
The girl’s deposition is a warning to all parents about the impending danger in front of them. Sexual assault, forced conversions, belittling our epics, sacred books, mocking at our customs and banning sporting religious symbols, dresses and harassment, if resisted. It is not new for the Christian missionaries and minority status help them to do it blatantly plus the official blessings. It happens not only in government aided schools (freedom to recruit staff and admission procedures of their choice) but also in Government schools. Christian convents are not safe for Hindu children.
DMK govt. has been opposing NEET, CUET, NEP and opposing Hindi learning. It has appointed Dindigal I Leoni , who made sexiest remarks on women, father Maria Susai, who in a video said he inserted portions portraying Christianity in school curricula when he was a member of TN Textbook and educational services Corporation as chairperson and member respectively. Suba Veerapandian, who is accused of having extra marital affairs and known hindu phobic , is a member of the same. Now there is a lesson on how to play cards , and a proposal to include Karunanidhi life history. All Hindu names in the text have been replaced with Christian and Muslims. Hindu names are used to demean or make them bad characters. This is the sorry status of education in the state. It is a matter of concern for all in the state.
When asked about the BJP’s claim that these incidents are continuously happening and religious conversion is rampant in the state, T N education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi said “It is not happening repeatedly. It happened only in this part of Kanyakumari. “BJP used to talk about the Michael Patti issue. But that is very different. It is not that. Here, we have taken action immediately. This should not happen hereafter. We have (issued) appointment circulars to all govt. schools (on) what steps have to be taken.
Tamil Nadu BJP President, Annamalai in a tweet,said ” The DMK government wouldn’t have bothered about this incident if it had not made the news – Yet again! Suspension of the teacher is not a solution to this, and as we have constantly been emphasizing, Anti-forced conversion law is the need of the hour in TN!”. VHP, RSS , Hindu Munnani too ask for anti-conversion law and a watch dog to monitor minority schools to prevent such occurrences.
-T S Venkatesan
venkateshts02@gmail.com