Madhya Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MP-SCPCR) during a surprise inspection drive at a Missionary school in Bina City found complaints against authorities.
The students claimed that they were forced to follow Christian religious beliefs at the school. The teachers do not allow them to wear Tilak and Kalawa at school. Wearing these land them in suspension, told the students.
On April 6, the State Child Commission members Onkar Singh and Child Welfare Commission member Nivedita Sharma went on a surprise inspection drive at Nirmal Jyoti Convent School, Bina.
Bina is a city that falls under the Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh.
Notably, the commission members found a foetus almost two months old in the biology lab. Initially, the school staff claimed that it was an artificial foetus made out of plastic.
However, they had no answers when asked why it was kept with preservatives.
The inspection drive
The member of the Madhya Pradesh Child Commission, Onkar Singh told Organiser Wekly that, members of the Child Welfare Commission (CWC) received a complaint that a student from the school was suspended and was charged with extra fees for refusing to follow the Christain practices.
They went on to inspect the matter on the ground, on April 6. The student and his father gave a written complaint to the commission.
Students were suspended for raising the slogan ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’
The teachers at the school namely Dominka Mam and Sister Grace do not allow them to wear Kalawa and Tilak. They were asked to remove the tilak before entering the school. The students also stated that they were forced to recite a prayer to God Jesus, named “Oh God” before lunch.
The students were also forced to celebrate Christian festivals irrespective of them being Hindu.
Some of the students chanted the slogan ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ inside the school campus and the next day one of them was suspended, claiming he involves in violent activities and has indiscipline behaviour.
That year the student was not allowed to go to school except for the examinations.
The victim’s father claim, his son was charged with extra fee even after being a fee waiver student
As per the complaint letter presented by the minor’s father Rakesh Kushwaha, the school authorities took revenge on his son after he asked them not to force him for reciting the ‘Oh God’prayer.
He told the school authorities that he is a Hindu and believes in the Hindu deity only, his son should not be forced to offer this prayer.
On the other hand, Rakesh told Onkar Singh (a member of MP SCPCR) that the authorities charged extra fees from Rakesh’s son after suspending him. He was in class 10 and was not allowed to go to school till his final term examinations.
Rakesh in his complaint told this suspension is a humiliation for his son as he was not involved in any violent activity inside the school campus. They gave him a ‘Pink card’ (suspension card) from the school.
The commission found a foetus in the biology lab
The commission also checked the school and found a foetus from the Biology laboratory. Initially, the staff members told CWC member Nivedita Sharma that the foetus was artificial and made out of plastic. But when asked strictly they said, it was there for a very long time and the previous principals might have brought it.
Nivedita Sharma said the foetus was kept in preservatives which confirms it was not an artificial foetus.
Madhya Pradesh Child Commission members did a surprise inspection drive at Convent School Bina (Sagar) & found this natural foetus which was illegally stored.
Students claimed that they face punishments on raising 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' slogans & wearing Kalawa & Tilak in school pic.twitter.com/N2cf8Z6UXF
— Subhi Vishwakarma (@subhi_karma) April 7, 2023
She added it is illegal for any school to keep these things even in the laboratory. Now even the hospitals do not have any embryos or foetus for display. The authorities were unable to present any permission letter for keeping them in the laboratory.
For now, the commission sealed it and sent it for further investigations.
The commission found loopholes in the permits for residential space
Onkar Singh said, there was conversion material present at the school, and there were religious texts and other stuff. Apart from this, a part of the school was used for residential purposes. When asked the authorities failed to present any diversion document for the same.
The commission also checked the police verification of the school bus drivers which was never done. No police verification has been done for the school teaching staff as well.
The school take funding in the name of catering RTE students
The school does not come under the Right to Education category. The school also claimed that they provide free education to as many as 178 students coming from economically weaker sections of society. This costs the school an amount of 16 Lakh rupees.
However, when asked for the document they could procure only one application. The application had no details which could make it clear if students really belong to the economically weaker sections or not.
Notably, the school was getting a fund of rupees 25 for serving the economically weaker students.
After taking cognizance of the complaint by the minor’s father, Rakesh Kushwa the commission directed the collector to investigate the matter and register an FIR against the school administration.
