Convent school teacher makes derogatory remarks on Lord Ram and Hinduism with the intent of converting students to Christianity
Mangalore, Karnataka, India 
10 February, 2024
Case Summary
On Sunday, February 11th, a complaint was lodged at the Mangaluru South police station against a teacher from St. Gerosa Catholic Girls School in Mangaluru. The complaint accused the teacher of making derogatory remarks about Hinduism, Lord Ram, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the intent of converting students to Christianity. The accused teacher, named Prabha, reportedly used curse words against Lord Ram and the Prime Minister during a class on February 8th. This led to protests by parents, Hindu organizations, and BJP leaders, demanding strict action against the teacher and the school. Videos of the protest showed members of VHP and students holding saffron flags and chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' outside the school gate. BJP MLA Vedavyas Kamath also joined the protest and engaged in discussions with the school administration on Monday, February 12th. "Your sisters are asking our Hindu kids to not keep tilak, flowers, anklets, kumkum. They have said pouring milk on Ram is waste. Why are you talking like this? If someone insults our belief, we won’t keep quiet. If someone insults your belief, you won’t keep quiet,” the BJP MLA told school authorities.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the category of Predatory Proselytisaton. Under this, the first sub-category chosen is- Attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism. In several cases, Hindus are converted or an attempt is made to convert Hindus by denigrating their faith, Hinduism. In such cases, the Hindus associate with the non-Hindu perpetrators often by choice and then, the attempt to convert them by insulting their faith, showing the faith down etc begins. An example of this would be a non-Hindu gathering where the Hindus are attending the gathering of their own free will. However, once they attend the gathering, there is an explicit attempt to convert them by abusing their faith and hailing the faith of the perpetrator. The denigration of the Hindu faith is often based on misrepresentation of the Hindu faith, its doctrine and scriptures and insult to espoused traditions if not blatant lies about Hindu beliefs and ways. Such conversions or attempts at conversions are driven by animosity towards the Hindu faith and are therefore documented as religiously motivated hate crimes. The second sub-category relevant here is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination, under which a tertiary category named 'Conversion of minor' has been selected, based on the details of the case. Religious brainwashing essentially means the often subtle and forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up their religious beliefs to accept contrasting regimented ideas. Religious grooming or brainwashing also involves propaganda and manipulation. It involves the systematic effort, driven by religious malice and indoctrination, to persuade “non-believers’ to accept allegiance, command, or doctrine to and of a contrasting faith. Cases of such grooming or brainwashing are far more nuanced than direct threats, coercion, inducement and violence. In such cases, it is often seen that there is repeated, subtle and continual manipulation of the victim to induce disaffection towards their own faith and acceptance of the contrasting faith of the perpetrator. While subtle indoctrination is widely acknowledged as predatory, an element which is often understated in such conversions or the attempts of such conversion is the role of loyalty and trust which might develop between the perpetrator and the victim. Fiduciary relationships are often abused to affect such religious conversion. For example, an educator transmitting religious doctrine of a competing faith to a Hindu student. The Hindu student is likely to accept what the teacher is transmitting owing to existence of the fiduciary relationship. The exploitation of the fiduciary relationship to religiously indoctrinate victims would also be included in this category. Since the underlying animosity towards the victim’s faith forms the basis of predatory proselytization, such cases are considered religiously motivated hate crimes. In this case, the missionary teacher adopted the tactic of insulting and denigrating the young children's faith for the purpose of converting them to Christianity. 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 they are 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. Additionally, denigrating someone else's faith for the purpose of conversion often stems from a deeper animosity or lack of respect for the victim's faith. This animosity can be driven by the belief that one's own faith is superior and can lead to a dismissive attitude towards other religions. This superiority complex can manifest as disrespect and hostility towards other beliefs. Insulting Hinduism in attempts to brainwash Hindus against their religion, itself stems from the animosity against the Hindu faith, which is why this case qualifies as a hate crime against Hindus and has been documented here.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
One Person
Perpetrators Gender
female
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