By UCA News reporter
Ahead of a Hindu festival, India’s child protection panel has issued a directive asking schools not to discriminate against children, which some Church leaders said could become a tool to harass Christian schools.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, in its Aug 8 directive, asked education departments in all Indian states not to “engage in practices that expose children to any form of corporal punishment or discrimination.”
The directive comes ahead of Aug 9 Raksha Bandhan, the Hindu festival celebrating the bond of siblings. Hindu girls and women tie a sacred decorated thread (rakhi) on the wrists of their brothers, who, in turn, promise life-long protection.
Christian leaders fear the directive could help the panel file non-compliance with the directive based on some children not wearing the rakhi on their wrists.
“The directive is superfluous as all education departments already have ample guidelines in this regard,” said Father Babu Joseph, former spokesperson of the Indian bishops’ Conference.
Priyank Kanoongo, the chairperson of the child protection panel, noted some instances of students in some schools not being allowed to wear rakhis and other Hindu symbols by teachers and school management during Hindu festivals.
The directive also has asked relevant state authorities to ensure its compliance and sought a report by Aug 17.
Christian groups accuse right-wing Hindu groups of harassing Christian schools for not celebrating Hindu festivals, particularly after the pro-Hindu party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014,
“Our schools will abide by the decision of education departments in respective states,” Father Maria Charles, secretary of the education office national bishops’ conference told UCA News on Aug 9.
The child rights panel has a history of targeting Christian institutions aiming to tarnish their image, said the Church leader based in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, a Christian leader who did not want to be named.
The panel has “unleashed targeted attacks” on our institutions and registered false cases under the draconian anti-conversion law against “our bishops, priests, nuns and other school staff,” he said.
He recalled that the panel had registered several cases against Church-run institutions in his state.
Christians comprise 2.3 percent of India’s 1.4 billion population. However, they run thousands of educational institutions nationwide.
The Catholic Church runs some 50,000 institutions, including 400 colleges, six universities, and six medical colleges in different parts of the country.
India’s constitution allows Christians who are grouped along with Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsees as minorities to set up schools and colleges to propagate their faith. – UCA News
