By Huneza Khan
Bhopal: An FIR has been registered against a school Principal in Guna district of BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh after the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) – the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) – held a protest against her for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
Designated as a school principal at the Vandana Convent School, Sister Catherine Vatolly directed a student to deliver a speech in English as instructed to students earlier.
However, controversy erupted when a Hindi daily newspaper “Patrika” on July 20 published a news report with the headline “Convent school main Hindi Bolne par bachhon ke hath se cheena mic (Mic snatched from students for speaking Hindi in convent school).”
The article went on with, “A child recited a shloka from Gita- Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah Sarve Santu Niramaya… On hearing this, the school’s principal, Catherine, got angry. She snatched the mic from that child and said that the shloka of Gita would not be recited here,” reads the piece.
Consequently, the Kotwali Police Station on July 22 registered an FIR against Catherine Vatolly under section 196 (promoting enmity between religious groups) and 299 (deliberate act to outrage religious feelings) of BNS (Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita).
‘Students were to deliver speeches at assembly’
A senior staff of the school, John Matthews (name changed), denied the allegations against the school principal, terming them ‘baseless and absurd’. He informed The Wire that there was an oath-taking ceremony of the student’s cabinet on July 13 (Saturday), and the newly elected house captains were instructed to prepare a speech in English to deliver in Monday’s assembly.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here.
