Missionary school principal suspends entire class for two days for chanting "Jai Shri Ram"
Bokaro, Jharkhand, India 
4 April, 2023
Case Summary
On April 11, 2023, the principal of a missionary school running in Gomia in Jharkhand's Bokaro district suspended all the students of Class 10 for two days for chanting the "Jai Shri Ram" slogan. On April 5, a student of class 10 studying at the Loyola school raised the "Jai Shri Ram" slogan in class. As a result, the whole class was suspended for the next two days. The school principal Alisha Manjuni called the parents of all the students of Class 10 and informed them about the decision. After the incident gained steam, the principal, in her defence, asserted that the students were suspended for one day for indiscipline in the school and for disobeying the teacher's orders. Not all the children were suspended, she claimed. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) took cognisance of the matter and also issued a notice to the Collector demanding an action report.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
As per case specifics, it has been placed under the sub-category- 'Restriction on expression of Hindu identity', under the prime category- 'Restriction/ban on Hindu practices' of the hate tracker. An example of the state-affected prejudicial and targeted orders against the Hindu community would be a government denying the right of a Hindu or a group of Hindus to hold a religious procession owing to the animosity of non-Hindu groups. Denial of the religious right of the Hindus to assuage the non-Hindu group which harbours animosity to a point where it could lead to violence against Hindus is not only a failure of law and order but is a prejudicial order against Hindus, denying them their fundamental rights to express their religious identity. An example of a hate crime against Hindus by a non-Hindu would be a non-Hindu institution forcing its Hindu employees to abandon religious symbols that a Hindu would wear as an expression of faith owing to inherent prejudice against the faith professed by the victim or a non-Hindu group of people restricting a Hindu group from constructing a place of worship simply because the demography of the area in which the temple is being built is dominated by non-Hindus. Such actions are driven by religious animosity and/or prejudice against Hindus and their faith and would therefore be categorized as a hate crime. Here, the Hindu students were suspended by the principal of a Christian Missionary-run convent school for chanting the 'Jai Shri Ram' slogan. "Jai Shri Ram" is a religious chant that is widely used in Hinduism as an expression of devotion to Lord Rama. Chanting this phrase is a form of religious expression, and penalizing someone for it could be seen as infringing on their right to religious freedom. Further, restricting someone from chanting a Hindu religious slogan can also be considered a prejudicial order denying the Hindu community its fundamental rights. Since the arbitrary action taken against the Hindu students was prejudicial to the rights of Hindus and stems from animosity and prejudice against Hindu beliefs, this case is being categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime. Further, this case is being added to the primary category 'Predatory Proselytisation' and the sub-category 'Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination'. The case reveals that the Hindu victims were minors, indicating a lack of consent and genuine change of conscience. It is a well-established fact that children are more susceptible to manipulation since they are still developing emotionally, cognitively, and socially. Their brains are not fully matured, making them more vulnerable to influence and less capable of critically evaluating information. Moreover, subtle manipulation tactics can be difficult to detect, especially when employed by trusted authority figures in positions of influence. This makes it challenging for parents, to identify and address instances of religious manipulation in schools. In this case, the accused, teachers in a position of trust, demonstrated a clear animosity towards Hinduism by suspending the students because one student chanted Jai Shri Ram, thereby stigmatising the student who was expressing his religious identity and warning others not to do the same. The teachers essentially covertly tried to push the children towards Christianity by distancing them from their religion and practices. This sort of harassment is rooted in animosity towards the victim’s religious identity and is therefore documented as a religiously motivated hate crime in this Hinduphobia Tracker.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
female
Sources 
