Ramakrishna Mission school attacked by Christian villagers

Case Summary
A group of Christian protesters attacked the Ramakrishna Mission (RKM) school in Mawkynrew village, East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya. They were protesting against the expansion of the RKM school. During the protest, the attackers vandalized parts of the school and issued threats to demolish it. The hostility was driven by religious and political motives, with certain local Christian groups perceiving the success of the RKM school as a direct challenge to their influence and control over education in the region. The predominantly Christian village, with over 80% of the population practising Christianity, long struggled with educational challenges, with a literacy rate of just 58%, lower than the national and state averages. In response, the RKM set up a school in 2022, aiming to provide quality and affordable education to local children. The school quickly gained popularity, expanding from 38 students in a single room to 96 students by 2023, and later to 166 students by 2024. With the increasing number of students, the school had to move into a larger building and add school buses and more staff. The RKM school became a source of hope for the rural community, offering much-needed education to underprivileged children. However, the school’s success and educational standards led to growing resistance, particularly from some local Christian leaders. On January 20, 2025, the former Sardar of Mawkynrew, Phrangstarwell Wankhar, and Tanborlang Surong, president of the Mawkynrew Sports Club, led a violent protest against the school. The protesters falsely claimed that the land allocated for the school had already been given to the Sports Club. Despite these claims being refuted—since the land had been properly sanctioned by the village council and supported by the local Syiem—the protesters went ahead with their attack. A curfew was imposed by the police following the attack. This attack on the RKM school followed a broader pattern of religious and political tensions in Meghalaya, where minority groups often face discrimination.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the prime category of- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Attacked for Hindu identity. In several cases, Hindus are attacked merely for their Hindu identity without any perceived provocation. A classic example of this category of religiously motivated hate crime is a murder in 2016. 7 ISIS terrorists were convicted for shooting a school principal in Kanpur because they got ‘triggered’ seeing the Kalava on his wrist and tilak that he had put. In this, the Hindu victim had offered no provocation except for his Hindu religious identity. The motivation for the murder was purely religious, driven by religious supremacy. Such cases where Hindus are targeted merely for their religious identity would be documented as a hate crime under this category. The Ramakrishna Mission is a prominent Hindu organisation, and its presence in a predominantly Christian area was perceived as a challenge by local Christian extremists. The hostility exhibited by certain members of the Christian community, particularly local leaders, indicates that the attack was driven by concerns regarding the influence and success of a Hindu educational institution in their region. The involvement of these local Christian leaders in inciting violence against a Hindu establishment further highlights the religious motivations behind the attack. The objection from Christian leaders could stem from a desire to maintain religious dominance in the area, viewing the Mission's activities as a direct challenge to their influence. By targeting a Hindu institution, the Christian extremists sought to undermine its influence and reinforce their religious dominance. Since such actions are deeply rooted in religious animosity and serve to assert supremacy, this case has been included in the tracker.

Case Status
Complaint registered

Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
N/A
Perpetrators Gender
both