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.
“It was a routine assembly day at school on July 15 (Monday). Out of the four house captains, two were asked to deliver speeches to showcase their leadership skills. When one of the students began his speech in Hindi, Sister Catherine reminded him of the earlier instruction to deliver a speech in English. It was a normal directive. Unprepared to continue in English, the student left the stage and returned to his class. The incident appeared unremarkable at the time with no immediate consequences,” stated Matthews.
On July 20, “Patrika” reported the incident, noting that Hindu outfits planned to approach the district collector. Subsequently, information emerged that a group intended take out a rally towards the school on July 22.
“A mob of 70-80 people arrived, chanting slogans for two and a half hours under the watch of police and administration. Some protesters went to the Kotwali Thana where a third party registered an FIR that came to our attention in the evening. Notably, neither the children on stage nor their parents filed any complaints. It is possible other children mentioned the incident at home, but the two involved did not,” Matthews informed.
The FIR registered in the case alleges that Sister Catherine’s actions have hurt Hindu religious sentiments.
“Sister Catherine’s labeling of a Gita shloka as poetry has hurt our Hindu religious sentiments and caused psychological distress to the students. Sister Catherine’s actions have sown seeds of discord in the minds of the students, leading to hurt feelings among Hindu students and the general public,” the FIR lodged by an ABVP member reads.
Allegations of religious insensitivity
The Wire spoke to the Saksham Dubey, an ABVP member and the complainant in the case who claimed that many of his relatives study in the school and they complained to him about the incident.
“The student was barred from speaking Hindi and interrupted while reciting a “Shloka,” which was mislabelled as “shayri,” offending our religious sentiments. A Principal from another religion managing a school with 90% Hindu students should understand Hindu traditions. If not, their appointment is problematic. The management should consider someone proficient in Hindi and familiar with the Hindu community,” said Dubey.
Vandana Convent School, a Christian Missionary school managed exclusively by sisters is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
No such incident has occurred on campus since its establishment in 1974 as the first English medium school in Guna. This is the first time a mass protest against its staff has taken place.
Online videos reveal slogans, intimidation by ABVP members
In a video circulated online, ABVP members could be seen creating a ruckus outside the school premises in the presence of police and administration. Men in the video can be seen insulting and misbehaving with Principal Sister Vatolly (principal), shouting and pointing fingers at her.
In MP’s Guna, Hindutva leaders on Monday barged into premises of a school to protest and forced the police to file FIR against principal Catherine Vatolly for directing students to speak English.Hindi newspaper misreported that students were prevented from reciting Shloka. pic.twitter.com/iIBrr8ac5U
— Waquar Hasan (@WaqarHasan1231) July 23, 2024
One of the men shouts, “Hum ko ye bhi gyat hai jo usne Hindi mein bola tha apko usse apatti hui (We know you had objections on what he said in Hindi),” “ye pracharya ko shloka aur shayri mein antar hi nahi pata. Shloka ko shayri bol rahi hain ye (This principal does not know the difference between shloka and shayri).”
In another viral video on social media, members of the ABVP urged the students to join them in chanting and raising slogans of, “Jai Sri Ram (Glory be to Lord Ram) after they barged into the school premises.”
ABVP members didn’t stop there. After barging into the school campus and forcing the principal to apologize, they urged some school kids to join them and chant “Jai Shri Ram.” https://t.co/DYe8hBiBn1 pic.twitter.com/sIm3um6XHF
— Prateek Goyal (@tweets_prateekg) July 24, 2024
“I believe in promoting a multilingual society. However, if parents choose an English medium school for their children, English should be the primary language of instruction. The ABVP’s insistence on using Hindi seems more about promoting Hindutva than about education. Educational institutions are being used for political gain, with little regard for the needs and interests of students. This politicisation of schools is detrimental to the quality of education and the well-being of the children,” said educationist and activist Shivani.
Staff defends school
Matthews said that the police provided protection, but the administration and district education authorities were present but seemed helpless.
“The FIR alleges hurting religious sentiments and banning Hindi, which is implausible in a Hindi-speaking region. The school follows government guidelines. Despite being in a remote area, our school has a strong reputation, with many alumni in top positions both in India and abroad. This success reflects the school’s quality and the reason parents choose our institution over others. Parents choose this English medium school for its nominal fees and quality education. If we didn’t teach in English, they wouldn’t enroll their children here. This makes education accessible to all children in the city,” said Matthews.
ABVP members protesting against the school principal. Photo: Special arrangement
Newslaundry quoted Piyush Mishra, district coordinator of ABVP, saying “The principal has been involved in anti-national activities for the last many years. They have been humiliating the Hindu religion.”
“What exactly defines “anti-national”? Sister Catherine was appointed school Principal only a month back. It is problematic to label a school Principal as engaging in anti-national activities without clear definitions or evidence. On the day of chaos, the school was running its regular schedule, including monthly tests. Our mission is to educate and shape students’ character. We correct and guide them when needed,” said Matthews, responding to the ABVP’s allegations.
Controversy and threats
ABVP member and complainant Dubey said, “We knew of the issue before it was reported. The school’s mistake was denying the allegations instead of apologising, which could have resolved the situation. The Principal never acknowledged the mistake or apologised. We did not surround the school but organised a peaceful protest with VHP and ABVP. After waiting for hours without the school gates opening, the ABVP warned the school and then jumped over the gate. There was no mistreatment of the staff, and students remained undisturbed and enthusiastic.”
The Newslaundry report quotes Principal Catherine Vatolly saying that the ABVP insisted that she appologises in Hindi.
“Despite my explanation that I intended to improve student’s language skills, not to offend anyone’s religious sentiments. But if anyone was hurt, I am sorry. When I said this, they were asking to say maaf kardo instead of sorry.”
A man associated to Hindutva organization can be heard saying in a video, “Esi gatividhiyon ke liye jo Vandana Convent chal raha hai na. 24 ghante bhi nahi lagenge. Ismein tala lag jaega. Band kara dunga. Idhar jo chalega vo Hindu sanskriti hai. Yahan sarve Bhavantu sukhinah hi hoga. Apki prayer mein bhi esi koi chiz aati ho to usko bhi vidhyarthi …(sic)… change karwaega. Uske school ki ek ek chiz change karwaega. Aur nahin hoti hai to us par tala dal jaega… (sic)… Dhyan rakhna. Idhar ap apni manmaani mat chalaiye. Idhar sanskriti chalega. Apko letter nikalna padega apne vidhartiyon ke lye pratidin yahan Sarve Bhvantu Suukinah hi hoga.
(Vandana Convent School is being run for such activities. We will close it down in less than 24 hours. I will lock it up. Only Hindu culture will prevail here. It will be “Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah” here. If anything contrary appears in your prayer, it will be changed. Every aspect of the school will be changed. If it isn’t, it will be locked up. Keep this in mind. Do not enforce your whims here. Only our culture will prevail. You will have to issue a letter stating that ‘Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah’ will be recited here every day by your students.)”
“Educational institutions must be held accountable for mistakes. As part of our commitment to societal betterment, we protested after the administration failed to act for two days. We sought a direct conversation with the principal to prevent such incidents in the future and ensure the smooth operation of the school,” said ABVP member and complainant Dubey.
(This scribe attempted to reach out to officials via phone calls. They either disconnected or did not pick up.)
