While people light up their Christmas trees, and sing jolly carols, a Karnataka school saw the disruption of its festivities during the merry season.
A mob of nearly 30 to 40 people on Thursday, 23 December, stormed inside a convent school campus in Karnataka’s Mandya district alleging that the children were being brainwashed and accused the sisters of converting the children to Christianity by celebrating Christmas.
After interrupting Christmas celebrations of the Nirmala English High School in Pandavpura, members of the Hindu Jagarana Vedike engaged in a verbal spat with the school administration. The video of altercation has gone viral.
Here’s what they argued about:
The right wing group can be seen asking questions in the video, including, "Are you supporting our children to convert in to Christianity? How many Hindu students study here?"
Replying to this, a sister says, “We do not differentiate between Hindu and Christian children.”
The right wing group member countered saying, “You do differentiate and mentally prepare children to convert to Christianity, we know that.”
Then another person asks, "Will you give Hindu students permission to celebrate Ganpati Chathurthi?"
She replies, "We will not give. Why should we?"
Furthermore, the Hindu group even objected to children wearing the Santa Claus dress and said, “Why should a thief, Santa Claus, give sweets to my children?"
When the sister tried to convince them by stating that children like Santa Claus, they threatened the sister saying, “Stop pointing, we’re not doing anything because of your age."
One person even went to the extent of saying that his child had started "behaving like a Christian".
There has been rising intolerance and attacks against Christians in Karnataka, by right-wing Hindu groups such as the Hindu Jagarana Vedike.
Meanwhile, this particular incident happened on the same day the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021 was passed by the Karnataka Assembly.
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