Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

HJM asks schools not to ‘force’ Hindus to celebrate Christmas

- Hemendra Chaturvedi hemendra.chaturvedi@hindustant­imes.com ▪

AGRA: After Aligarh, the Hindu Jagran Manch (HJM) asked Christian missionary schools in Agra not to ‘force’ Hindu students to celebrate Christmas. Leaders of the district unit of the outfit claimed to have issued letters to school principals and also threatened protests if their ‘advisory’ was not complied with.

Amit Chaudhary, HJM Agra unit president, confirmed this to HT on Wednesday. “We had been receiving complaints from parents of students studying in missionary schools.

Hindu students are being asked to buy dresses to appear as Santa Claus and participat­e in programmes organised to celebrate Christmas on the campus,” stated Chaudhary.

“On receiving such complaints, we have issued letters to about a dozen missionary schools in Agra and took up the matter with principals at a couple of schools, asking them to desist from such activities otherwise we

We are not against any festival or religion. But any attempt to propagate Christiani­ty leading to practice of conversion would not be taken lightly

AMIT CHAUDHARY, HJM Agra unit president

would come on roads to lodge protest and would have such schools propagatin­g Christiani­ty shut down,” he stated while maintainin­g that schools should focus only on education.

“We are not against any festival or religion. But any attempt to propagate Christiani­ty leading to practice of conversion would not be taken lightly,” he stated.

“It would be a better option if missionary schools celebrate festivals by declaring the day as a holiday as they do in case of Hindu festivals,” stated Chaudhary.

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