Right-Wing Group Warns Aligarh Schools Against Celebrating Xmas

The Hindu Jagran Manch said it had a problem with “a Christian festival” being forced on “Hindu children.”

The HJM directed its district units to protest outside schools if their warnings were not heeded to.

(Photo: iStock)

RSS-affiliate Hindu Jagran Manch (HJM) has asked Aligarh's schools not to celebrate Christmas claiming that the celebrations were "essentially a ploy to lure and convert Hindu children", The Hindu reported.

The HJM directed its district units to protest outside schools if their warnings were not heeded to.

The chief of HJM in Aligarh, Sonu Savita told The Hindu that the move is not "against Christians celebrating Christmas", but the problem is with "a Christian festival" being forced on "Hindu children."

No school has a majority of Christian students. So why do these schools – where Hindu students are in majority – celebrate Christmas?

Sonu Savita, Chief of Hindu Jagran Manch in Aligarh, to <i>The Hindu</i>

The state secretary of HJM, Sanju, said the right-wing group's volunteers were running an "awareness campaign".

The SSP of Aligarh, RK Pandey said that all schools will be provided with security.

Warning hasn’t reached schools yet. We’re probing to see what charges can be made in this matter. It doesn’t look like an advisory but it instills fear among children. All schools and colleges will be given security. People are free to celebrate festivals.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma denied any knowledge on the matter:

I don’t have knowledge of it. Govt has clear policies that all religions must be respected. People are free to celebrate festivals of any religion. Government won’t interfere with it.

In a different incident, eight people were arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi district on Sunday, 14 November, while attending a Christian prayer meeting, following complaints of religious conversion, Hindustan Times reported.

The eight were reportedly booked under Section 151 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which decrees that continuing in assembly of five or more people, “that may cause disturbance of public peace,” despite orders to disperse, is punishable with a maximum jail term of six months, or fine, or both.

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