In a shocking case of grooming a minor Hindu boy to conversion, a father, joined by hundreds of Hindu activists, hit the streets in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The father claimed that the 35-year-old teacher at Saint Aloysius School has been engaging in conversations with his 15-year-old son on various social media platforms for months. She not only accompanies him to church but also went to the extreme of cutting his choti, a traditionally significant practice for Brahmins. Furthermore, she ensnared him in a deceptive web of false affection and other concerning behaviours.
Since this incident came to light, the entire school has been exerting pressure on the family to withdraw the case. They have even resorted to making baseless allegations against both the minor and his father. Unfortunately, the police have yet to take any action, and the school authorities are openly mentioning the names of the family members and the minor in the media, a clear breach of privacy and potentially of the law.
The 15-year-old boy goes to St. Aloysius School in Kanpur and has been a student there since nursery. Recently, there have been noticeable changes in his behaviour at home. For instance, he has stopped wearing the Kalawa and tilak, removed his rakhi, and expressed discomfort with the sound of the puja ghanti played during the arti by his mother. Additionally, he mentioned that his choti was accidentally cut by the barber almost four months ago.
On October 16, members of the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) organised a large protest outside the school. The boy’s father has been tirelessly seeking action, prompting the activists to demand the immediate suspension of the teacher. They staged a rally and a sit-in protest that lasted for about four hours in front of the school, accompanied by fervent slogans. Visuals of the protest can be viewed below:
After the protest, the school authorities engaged with ABVP representatives, permitting a team from the activist group to conduct a visit to their premises.
On October 18, Organiser called Anshul Vidyarthi, the Prant Sangathan Mantri of ABVP. He said that the team discovered Hindu students were prohibited from wearing kalawa and applying tilak while on campus. Furthermore, it was observed that in the students’ books, chapters about revolutionary figures who had sacrificed their lives for the nation were marked with a cross. When questioned, the teachers claimed it was beyond the scope of the syllabus.
Vidyarthi emphasised that not only is this school preventing its students from using standard NCERT books, but it’s also hindering them from studying about these important revolutionaries.
In the wake of the protest, ABVP members submitted a memorandum to the police, urging an inspection of the school and demanding stringent action. A copy of this memorandum can be found below.
On October 18, the Organiser contacted Akhilesh Shukla, the father of the minor boy. Here are some excerpts from their conversation:
Recalling the incident, he said that on September 28, he caught his son chatting on his mobile phone, and as he scrolled down, he saw some vulgar and obscene pictures of a woman. When questioned strictly, his son said that she was his teacher. The name of the teacher was Olive Rohit.
Shukla was shocked to find this and dig further. His son told how he was madly in love with a 35-year-old Christian woman who was already married. Then he read the chats, which had conversations like “I miss you, I hug you, etc.” (details of which he could not tell this correspondent as I am a woman). He did share a screenshot with Organiser, attached below:
He says the minor was groomed by the woman so as to get him converted to Christianity. After taking the phone from his son, Shukla reached school on October 1 and told all of this to the principal and showed him some of the screenshots. The principal was defending the teacher and when called her, she said, her phone must have been hacked or the boy must have made another fake account to defame her.
Finding no help, Shukla reached the police station, but no report was lodged. Police said they will investigate the matter further.
Shukla informed Organiser that about six months ago, he experienced a significant spike in his blood sugar levels, along with uncontrolled blood pressure. As a result, he became less vigilant about his son’s activities. Recently, his wife informed him that their son had stopped wearing the kalawa and tilak, and even had his choti cut. Shukla suspects this may have been influenced by the teacher.
The minor has admitted to Shukla that he met the woman at the church. She used to take him to prayers regularly. The woman’s influence on him was so substantial that even the arti and the ringing of the ghanti, performed by his mother every day, began to agitate him.
Shukla mentioned that now that he has involved the police, contacted activists, and garnered media attention for the case, the school authorities are exerting pressure and issuing threats to persuade him to withdraw the case. They have even publicised his and his minor child’s names in the media, which has caused the child to experience depression. The principal is now alleging that his son used to consume alcohol and engage in other undesirable behaviors, despite previously being regarded as a well-behaved young man.
He emphasised that it was only after ABVP activists organized a protest at the school, shedding light on various irregularities and mistreatment directed towards Hindu students, that the teacher was finally suspended. He remarked that these individuals have influential connections.
While sharing a copy of the complaint letter (attached below), Shukla expressed his concerns, saying, “No one is considering the impact on my son, who had his board exams this year. His academic year is now jeopardized, and his future hangs in the balance. What justification is there for a 35-year-old teacher to engage in a relationship with a 15-year-old boy? This is a deliberate act with malicious intent, aimed at conversion.”
In the letter provided to Organiser, he detailed how teacher Olive, along with her husband Rohit and brother Lokesh, have been issuing threats. Shukla alleged that the school authorities have been publicising his and his son’s names in the media, placing his son’s future in jeopardy.
Shukla firmly demanded action in this matter, stating, “I have endured a great deal thus far and will not yield to any enticements or threats. I will persevere in this fight. As parents, we entrust our children to their schools for education, not for them to be emotionally manipulated. It is unacceptable for them to exploit minors to further their agenda.”
Meanwhile, the school’s principal, Father D Silva, is vehemently denying all the accusations levelled against the teacher and himself. He asserts that this is a deliberate attempt to tarnish the reputation of both the teacher and the child, suggesting that the child is fabricating the story. Father D Silva has raised questions about specific details, such as when the school allegedly cut the boy’s choti and when the teacher had conversations with him.
