School force students to offer Namaz, wear Burqa in assembly, principal and teachers suspended after parents protest
Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, India 
17 April, 2023
Case Summary
On April 18, 2023, a special assembly was organised at Hathras of UP's BLS International School to make the students aware of Indian festivals. The assembly was based on the theme of World Heritage Day and Eid. The parents stated that the students at the assembly were made to forcefully offer Namaz and Fathia and wear burqas. The wards' parents protested outside the school, chanting Hanuman Chalisa and displaying posters reading, “I am not secular”, “BLS Principal, Chairman, and Staff Apologise”, and “Make kids read Hanuman Chalisa, Save Hindu Religion.” Notably, parents stated that school students were not made to read Hanuman Chalisa on Hanuman Jayanti, but were forced to offer Namaz on Eid. The school management meanwhile released a statement claiming that rumours were spread by the protesters around the school campus and nothing of the sort took place. After receiving backlash, the school authorities suspended the principal named Sonia McPherson, and two teachers Kambar Rizwan and Irrfan Elahi, over the incident. A committee headed by the Deputy District Collector and Hathras District School Inspector was constituted to investigate the matter.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the hate tracker under the prime category- Predatory Proselytisation. Under this, the sub-category selected is- Proselytisation by 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 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 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. 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, who were teachers, subtly influenced the children by coercing them to offer Namaz and Fathia and also to wear Burqas. The parents also complained that the school students were not made to read Hanuman Chalisa on Hanuman Jayanti, but were forced to offer Namaz on Eid. The details suggest that the crime was committed with the specific intention of alienating the victims from their Hindu identity and harbouring bias against the Hindu faith. As such, the case is classified as a religiously motivated hate crime under Predatory Proselytisation.
Case Status
Complaint not filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Others
Perpetrators Range
From 2 To 5
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
