The Catholic Diocesan Schools’ Association in Madhya Pradesh, India, has approached state high court asking for protection for its educational institutions from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the students body of the ruling pro-Hindu BJP. On Jan 4, the police had foiled the ABVP’s attempt to enter St Mary’s PG College in Vidisha to recite Bharat Mata Aarti. The incident and a new call by the student’s body have prompted the diocese to seek legal remedy.
As reported by ucanindia.in, Secretary-General of Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) Theodore Mascarenhas remarked that “The institutions run by the minority community were being increasingly targeted by the ABVP. The ABVP had given a call to its members on local WhatsApp groups to go to the college on Tuesday, forcibly enter its premises and recite the aarti. The minority community tried to initiate a dialogue with the students’ body but the effort was in vain.
The decision to move the court was also prompted by an attack on priests and seminarians in Satna in December when they went caroling ahead of Christmas. The priests and seminarians were detained in a police station. While the police had booked one priest for conversion, a Bajrang Dal activist, a militant organization that forms the youth wing of the Vishva Hindu Parishad, was arrested for torching a car belonging to the priests.
Source: www.ucanindia.in
