Pune's DY Patil High School imposes Christian prayers, denigrates Hindu traditions and festivals
Pune, Maharashtra, India 
3 July, 2023
Case Summary
On July 6, 2023, the Principal of DY Patil High School in Ambi, Pune, Alexander Coates Reid, along with a couple of Christian teachers, were removed from their positions due to molestation, religious conversion, and insult to Hinduism. The school promoted Christian practices, forced Hindu students to recite prayers from the Bible, and denigrated Hindu festivals. Following a confrontation, the Principal attempted to molest a female parent who questioned him about the mistreatment of students and imposition of Christian practices. Teachers influenced Hindu students against their religion and made derogatory comments about India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. One of the Muslim teachers, Samina Patel, attempted to influence the students by saying that "Muslims have always been pure, it is Hindus who keep on defaming and attacking the minority community. Mohammed Ali Jinnah should have become the PM." The school refused to issue holidays on the Hindu festivals of Ashadhi Ekadashi and Gudhi Padwa. The students wanted to organise a Palkhi (procession) on the occasion of Ekadashi but the permission was denied saying that it was a "stupid" tradition. During an event, when students played the famous Hindu prayer ‘Aee Giri Nandini’, teachers called the "song", "nonsense." Moreover, the Principal showed no respect for the National Anthem. In addition to denigrating Hinduism, it was discovered that the Principal had installed CCTV cameras in the senior girls' washroom without notifying the management or parents. The incident came to light after parents reported their daughter's harassment and mistreatment at the school. One student was asked to lift the school benches and pinched on her cheeks and other body parts. Three teachers, including Samina Patel, were suspended by the management, who expressed ignorance about the CCTV cameras. Parents lodged a detailed police complaint at Ambi Police Station, stating harassment of students, biased treatment against Hindu culture, and disregard for national symbols like the national anthem.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under two prime categories of the tracker. The first is- Predatory Proselytisation within the tracker. Within this category, the sub-category of Attempting to convert/converting by denigrating Hinduism has been applied. 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 under the above-mentioned category of 'Predatory Proselytisation' that has been selected here is- Proselytisation by grooming, brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination. 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. Further, as per case details, the second prime category under which this case has been placed is- Restriction/ban on Hindu practices, within which, the sub-category- Administration restricting religious practice, has been applied. In several cases, it is seen that the administration/state disallows a religious practice owing to prejudicial orders and concerns, targeted specifically against the Hindu community. Such restriction/prohibition would be considered documented as a hate crime because the orders are often a result of pressure by groups that harbour animosity towards Hinduism and Hindus. Often, the restriction by the authorities is driven by bias, hostility, or prejudice against the specific community being stopped from holding a religious practice, by pressure groups that harbour animosity towards Hindus, intrinsic to their faith. Since practices are intrinsic to the faith of the Hindus, such prejudicial restriction is considered a curtailing of the fundamental rights of the Hindu community. In several cases, for example, the authorities ban a Hindu religious practice due to pressure from groups opposed to the religion. In other instances the prohibition is selectively enforced against one religious group (Hindus) while others are allowed to proceed. There are still other cases where the authorities preemptively restrict a religious practice by Hindus because those who hold animosity towards Hindus may get “provoked” leading to them being violent, thereby assuaging the sentiments of those who hold animosity towards Hindus by curtailing the religious rights of Hindus. Such acts and orders are prejudiced, indicating discriminatory motives owing to the capitulation to groups that harbour animosity towards Hindus and therefore, would be categorized as a religiously motivated hate crime since the original pressure leading to the order itself is a result of hatred/bias/prejudice/religious hate against Hindus. In this case, both the Principal and teachers actively disrespected Hindu customs, festivals, and prayers, portraying them as inferior or "stupid." Their derogatory remarks aimed to undermine students' connections to their faith and instil feelings of shame or inferiority, fostering the perception that Christianity was superior. This sense of superiority can manifest as disrespect and hostility towards other beliefs. The insults directed at Hinduism, intended to manipulate Hindu students against their religion, stem from an underlying animosity towards the Hindu faith, which is why this case is categorized as a hate crime against Hindus and has been documented here. It is crucial to note that the teachers employed tactics of insult and denigration towards young children’s faith to facilitate conversions to Christianity. Children are particularly vulnerable to manipulation due to their ongoing emotional, cognitive, and social development. Their brains are not fully matured, making them more susceptible to influence and less capable of critically evaluating information. Furthermore, subtle manipulation tactics can be hard to detect, especially when carried out by trusted authority figures in positions of influence, making it difficult for parents to recognize and address instances of religious manipulation in schools. Thus, the repeated exposure of students to Christian prayers and teachings without parental consent created an environment of subtle indoctrination, designed to present Christianity as a more appealing alternative to Hinduism. Additionally, by denying holidays for Hindu festivals like Ashadhi Ekadashi and Gudhi Padwa, and prohibiting students from organizing culturally significant events such as the Palkhi procession, the school administration actively suppressed students’ ability to practice and celebrate their Hindu beliefs. This restriction was not merely a scheduling issue; it signalled a lack of respect for Hindu traditions and aimed to marginalize Hindu practices within the school. This administrative bias reflects a broader agenda to limit Hindu religious expression while promoting Christian practices, revealing an underlying antagonism toward Hinduism. For all these reasons, this case has been added to the tracker.
Case Status
Complaint registered
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
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