A missionary congregation school in Telangana’s Mancherial district was vandalised by some villagers in response to an alleged rule that stopped students from wearing saffron-coloured religious attire without prior permission.
A video of the incident that took place at St Mother Teresa English Medium School, Luxettipet, in Kannepalli village in the north Telangana district went viral on social media where a group of saffron-clad villagers were seen raising ‘Jai Sri Ram’ slogans.
As per a report by The Indian Express, students were observing ‘Hanuman Deeksha’, a penance for 41 days to which the principal took exception and asked students to get prior permission from the school authorities which later angered the parents.
Mancherial Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ashok Kumar said, “Previously also there were some complaints against the principal and it was there in the parents’ mind. It was a Tuesday and there was a temple nearby and all this escalated and led to vandalism.”
In response to complaints from both students’ parents and the school administration, the Dandepally police have filed two FIRs and are currently analyzing videos to identify the perpetrators.
The school administration’s complaint alleges that a group, including four identified individuals, unlawfully entered the school premises, intending to wrongfully restrain the school correspondent. They reportedly physically assaulted him and caused damage to classroom windows, a statue of Mother Teresa, and gates, estimating property losses at Rs 30,000.
Father Jaimon Joseph, the school correspondent and a member of the Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (MCBS), explained that a misunderstanding led to a social media frenzy, resulting in over 500 people converging on the school. He stated that while students were permitted to wear saffron clothes for exams, false rumours sparked the attack, which lasted nearly four hours, indicating possible pre-planning.
The police have charged the school management under sections 153a and 295-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), pertaining to promoting enmity between groups based on religion and deliberately insulting religious sentiments, respectively.
Meanwhile, the accused vandals face charges under IPC sections 323, 427, 452, 506, and 143 read with 149, encompassing voluntary causing hurt, mischief causing damage, trespassing with intent to harm, criminal intimidation, and unlawful assembly with a common objective.