Seeking justice for St Gerosa School: Mangalore diocese takes action

The diocese of Mangalore has requested the departments of minority welfare, child welfare and the women’s commission to hold a fair inquiry into the recent incidents at a school in the city where a teacher was removed from her post for her alleged anti-Hindu remarks.

In a statement issued late Wednesday night, the diocese of Mangalore said false allegations were raised against the woman teacher by BJP MLA Vedavyas Kamath who led a protest at St Gerosa school demanding an immediate apology from her. Narrating the events that led to the issue, the diocese said it started with the circulation of two audio messages via social media accusing English teacher, Sister Prabha, of making disparaging remarks against Hindu religious practices and political leaders during a class. As the social media messages spread, four parents approached the headmistress who assured them a thorough investigation to bring out the truth.

However, a group of people gathered around the school at on February 10. The headmistress assured them also that proper inquiry would be conducted to address the matter. The situation escalated on February 12 when officials from the education department visited the school. Local MLA Vedavyas Kamath led a protest at the school, ‘exhibiting disregard’ for the constitutional process of a fair inquiry. He insisted on an immediate apology and suspension of the English teacher and started harassing women staff, creating an atmosphere of hostility, the diocese alleged in the statement.

As the children were leaving the campus, the MLA prompted them to chant religious verses and raise slogans against the teacher, the statement alleged. Under pressure, the school management removed the teacher from the post, pending an inquiry, to maintain law and order and ensure the safety of the student community.

On what happened inside the class, the statement said the teacher was speaking on Rabindranath Tagore’s poem “Work is Worship” and explaining the lines “Whom dost thou worship in this lonely dark corner of the temple with doors all shut?” (English syllabus of class VII, State Board, Karnataka). “She neither taught nor stated anything of the sort as went viral on social media,” the diocese said in the statement. The diocese urged the authorities to probe into the false allegations against English teacher and safeguard her dignity as a teacher and a woman and requested all concerned to protect the interests of minorities, women, and children.

The diocese of Mangalore expresses deep concern over the unfair treatment of the teacher, students and the school by an elected people’s representative and his people, the statement added.