Catholic school forces Hindu students to throw away rakhis, rub off tilak from forehead
Hapur, Uttar Pradesh, India 
12 September, 2023
Case Summary
In a missionary school in the Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh, the teachers insulted Hindu deities and removed the tilak on the forehead of the Hindu students. The Hindu students are also lured to become Christians. Upon learning about the incident, Hindu organizations launched a protest on September 13, 2023, expressing displeasure over it. The parents of the victims have also complained about the matter on the Chief Minister Portal. According to media reports, the incident took place in Tatarpur of Dehat police station area of Hapur district. On Wednesday, relatives of many students reached St. Anthony Senior Secondary School located here with complaints. Parents said that some teachers of the school wiped tilak from the forehead of their children. Cut the Rakhi tied in her hands and threw it in the dustbin. The parents also confirmed that when the students protested against this action of the teachers, derogatory words were spoken towards Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Parents also said that students were threatened that their names would be struck off if they told anyone at home about it. As soon as information about the matter was received, there was a gathering of Hindu organizations in the school. Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Girish Tyagi said that attempts are being made to convert students inside the school by people associated with Christian missionaries. Alleging mental harassment of Hindu students inside the school, he has demanded action from the administration against the accused. After protests from parents and Hindu organizations, the school management called the accused teachers. It is being told that the accused teachers apologized while giving assurance of not doing this again. Notably, in the prayers of St. Anthony's School, where this incident took place, all the students are described as children of Jesus. Also, all school prayers end with the word Amen. In fact, in the very introduction of the school, the cross has been described as a symbol of self-confidence and sacrifice.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
Distinct elements in this particular case demonstrate that the missionary school teacher harboured a bias against the Hindu faith. Because of the case's specifics, we have put this case under three prime categories: 'Attack on Hindu religious symbols', 'Restriction/ban on Hindu practices' and 'Predatory Proselytisation'. To narrow down the search further the sub-category 'Desecration of Hindu religious symbol' has been selected under the first core category, 'Restriction on expression of Hindu identity' has been selected under the second category whereas 'Proselytisation by brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination' has been selected under the third primary category. The first sub-category relevant in this case is, 'Desecration of Hindu religious symbol'. Icons and symbols or a religious representation of a spiritual ideal are widely revered in Hinduism. Iconography is of vital significance in the Hindu milieu. It helps connect people’s spiritual beliefs with the real world. Iconography within the Hindu faith takes several shapes and forms. Murtis are of most significance to Hindus, to which daily rituals, prayers and offerings are done. Besides the murtis, there are several other symbols which have deep significance in the Hindu faith – the Om and Swastika for example. Since these Hindu religious symbols hold paramount importance in Hinduism, any desecration of symbols, icons, murtis, religious representations and manifestations, is driven by animosity towards the faith itself which manifests itself through these murtis, icons and symbols. Therefore, any desecration of these Hindu religious symbols and representations is considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The sub-category under 'predatory proselytisation' relevant in this case is, 'Proselytisation by brainwashing, manipulation or subtle indoctrination' The fact that the school made it mandatory for children of all faiths to sing Christian hymns and practice catholic principles proves that it was adopting the tactic of conditional brainwashing to alienate the young children from their faith and slowly bring them closer to the folds of Christianity. Children, who are particularly vulnerable due to their developing cognitive and emotional states, were being compelled to not wear tilaks and kalavas; and were being made to compulsorily sing Christian hymns and songs in this case. Since the underlying offence, in this case, is against children of a specific faith and involves subtle tactics of indoctrination, which obviously stems from a bias against the Hindu faith, this case has been documented as a hate crime under 'predatory proselytisation'. Further, the sub-category selected under Restriction/ban on Hindu practices is- Restriction on expression of Hindu identity. 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. In this case, the teacher forcefully removed the sacred threads (Kalavas) from Hindu students' wrists and rubbed off the tilak applied on the Hindu student's foreheads. In Hinduism, the tilak and Kalava hold deep religious, cultural, and spiritual significance. Kalava symbolizes protection, blessings, unity, and commitment to spiritual and ethical principles. Its use across various rituals and ceremonies underscores its importance in the Hindu way of life and by forcefully cutting off the Kalava and rubbing the tilak, the teacher insulted the Hindu faith and displayed her deep disdain towards the religion, which is why this case becomes worthy of being documented under this category of the hate tracker. Moreover, it is evident from the details that the Hindu victims here were children, which essentially means that the element of consent and genuine change of conscience was missing ab initio. Since the underlying offence in this case was against children of a specific faith and involved subtle tactics of indoctrination, which obviously stems from a bias against the Hindu faith, this case is a clear case of religious hate.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Christian Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
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