On Tuesday (17th October), a lady teacher from a missionary school in Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) was suspended for allegedly pressuring a Class 10 student to engage in physical relations. The student’s father has accused the teacher of attempting to influence his son’s religious beliefs, aiming to convert him from Hinduism to Christianity. Subsequently, ABVP activists held a protest march on October 16th, demanding legal action against the teacher. The school administration responded by suspending the accused teacher.
The incident took place at St. Aloysius’ High School in the Kanpur Cantt police station area. The victim is a class 10 student of St. Aloysius’ High School. According to the victim’s family, their son, who believes in Hinduism, would get irritated even by the ringing of bells during Puja and worship in their house. For about a year, he had stopped respecting gods and goddesses. When the family asked the reason for this, he did not give any satisfactory answer.
Roughly four months ago, upon returning home from school, the child’s parents noticed that his Shikha, a sacred lock of hair, had been cut off. After thorough questioning, the boy revealed that a female teacher from the school had taken him to a church and cut off the Shikha. According to the victim’s father, a recent examination of his son’s phone revealed that the female teacher had been engaging in late-night conversations with the boy. These chats reportedly included the teacher sending explicit messages to the child, pressuring him to engage in physical relations.
𝙏𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙧'𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙏𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙝 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩.
— Treeni (@_treeni) October 17, 2023
Here is a story that no one told you, and you must hear it today.
Kanpur: A 10th-grade student from St. Aloysius' High School suddenly became annoyed after hearing… pic.twitter.com/tnfIw8MMgQ
The accused teacher, who has been teaching at the school for nearly 37 years, is approximately 60 years old and nearing retirement. The family of the victim has labelled the incident as a ploy to convert their child under the guise of affection. The parents alleged that the children were being brainwashed in the school by calling Hindus beggars. The principal of the school, Walter D’Silva, is said to be the mastermind of this conspiracy of conversion.
Moreover, it has been alleged that the husband and brother of the accused teacher were also complicit in this purported conspiracy. The teacher’s husband and brother also teach in the same school.
The victim’s father had lodged a complaint with the police on 11th October 2023. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad alleged that the school administration wants to suppress the matter, due to which the registration of the FIR is being delayed. On 16th October, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) protested over the incident.
The protest march was led by ABVP’s state organisation minister Anshul Vidyarthi. The ABVP demanded strict action against the school administration. The victim’s father also joined the procession. After this march, the school administration suspended the female teacher.
According to the student’s father, P White, a teacher at the school, told his son that Hindus are beggars. Additionally, there were purported restrictions within the school, including a ban on applying tilak on the forehead and tying kalava on the wrist.
The family also claims to have faced pressure to suppress the matter. Vikrant Agnihotri, an office bearer of ABVP, alleged that the school’s syllabus includes a chapter featuring great personalities of the freedom struggle, where a cross symbol is prominently displayed.
प्रकरण में जांच की जा रही है, जांचोपरान्त आवश्यक वैधानिक कार्यवाही की जायेगी।
— POLICE COMMISSIONERATE KANPUR NAGAR (@kanpurnagarpol) October 17, 2023
According to Kanpur Police, the matter is being investigated. No arrest has been made so far. Police said in a X post that further action will be taken on the basis of the facts revealed after the investigation.
