The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Telangana school attacked over ‘entry ban’ on students in saffron clothing; 2 FIRS lodged
A SCHOOL run by a missionary congregation in Telangana’s Mancherial district was vandalised on Tuesday by a group of villagers after some students wearing saffron-coloured attire were allegedly told to bring their parents to enter the school in coloured clothing instead of the school uniform.
The incident took place Tuesday at St Mother Teresa English Medium School in north Telangana district. A video of a mob of saffron-clad villagers shouting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and hurling stones at the school premises had gone viral on social media.
“The exams were going on. After the exam, the principal said if they wanted to wear saffron clothes, they had to get permission. This triggered the parents. There were previous complaints against the principal and it added to the parents’ agitation... all this escalated and led to vandalism,” Mancherial DCP Ashok Kumar told The Indian Express.
Two FIRS were filed based on complaints from parents as well as the school administration.
A parent, in the complaint, alleged his son and two classmates wearing a ‘Hanuman Mala deeksha’ dresswere not allowed into theschool.hesaidtheschool’scorrespondent and principal intentionally insulted their religious sentiments. The school administration named four suspects and others for “trespassing the school premises, trying to... restrain the school correspondent, physically assaulting him and damaging windowsofclassrooms”.theysaid a Mother Teresa statue and gates of the school were damaged and claimedapropertylossof`30,000.
Police booked school authoritiesonchargesincludingpromoting enmity between different groups, and the vandals under IPC sections dealing with voluntarily causing hurt, mischief, among others.
School correspondent Father Jaimon Joseph said, “The attack... continued for nearly four hours and we suspect it was planned”. ”
Leader of Opposition in the Keralaassemblyvdsatheesanon Thursday spoke with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy regarding the vandalism at the school, which is managed by a Kerala-based church.