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Catholic schools ordered not to admit students under pressure

Michael Gonsalves in Pune

Following Saturday's attack on a priest and two nuns in Bombay, allegedly by goons of the ruling Shiv Sena, over school admissions, the Bishops of Maharashtra, apex governing body of the Catholic Church in the state, has issued strict instructions to all schools affiliated to it not to admit students wherever monetary or other pressures are used.

"The Bishops of Maharashtra have given strict instructions to Catholic schools in the State that wherever monetary or other pressures are made on the occasion of admissions, the students in question should be automatically disqualified," a press release issued by Archbishop Ivan Dias of Bombay on Monday said.

Irked by the Sacred Heart High School management's refusal to grant admission to their wards in the junior KG section, a mob of 30 suspected Shiv Sena goons had ransacked the school office.

The mob smashed a glass table, broke a fan, cut off telephone lines and broke the glass notice boards.

The Shiv Sena is ruling the state in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Citing letters of recommendations from a local politician, the mob, which included five women, barged into Principal Arlene Noronha's office, demanding admission for their wards. When they were refused, they slapped Sister Geraldine who tried to pacify the crowd.

Condemning the incident, Archbishop Dias said such attacks could undermine the confidence of Christians in the law-and-order machinery of the State, coming as it does in the wake of attacks on the community all over the country last year.

"In a brutal attack on the Sacred Heart High School at Worli [central Bombay], school property was damaged, abusive language was used against Archbishop House, and a nun, priest-manager Father Joe Pereira, and Principal Arlene Noronha were assaulted," Archbishop Dias said.

Voicing serious concern over the incident, the archbishop demanded that Chief Minister Narayan Rane take appropriate preventive measures to see that such incidents do not recur.

The archbishop drew attention to the attacks on Christians in several parts of the country over the last year and pointed out that similar incidents had occurred in previous years during admissions to Catholic schools.

"Pressures have been exerted by party politicians, municipal corporators, and government officials to obtain admission for their candidates," the press release pointed out.

While this speaks well of the high esteem in which Catholic schools are held all over the State, it is certainly not a credit to those who think that might is right, he said.

"Pressures, including bribes, are being exerted on some Catholic schools, especially from some persons belonging to a certain political group, and the cases are being wrongly reported in their party newspaper," the release added.

The Archbishop did not specify any political party or name the newspaper. But it is clear that the ruling Shiv Sena is in the forefront of the campaign against Catholic schools. The newspaper concerned is Saamna, the party's mouthpiece.

Senior Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray, however, denied that his party is conducting a campaign against these schools. "All that we are demanding is admission for local students," he said.

The mob at Sacred Heart had come to demand admissions to the junior kindergarten class for which 500 forms were distributed for 150 seats. But according to Fr Joe Pereira , these forms were still being processed.

"It was strange because the crowd was not clear what exactly it wanted. It was as if they had come there to make trouble rather than push any specific cases," the priest said. "I told them I was ready to sit down and speak to them if there was a real case, but they were not ready to listen to me."

Meanwhile, the Bombay police have confirmed that the five persons arrested for the attack belong to the Sena. They are Harish Worlikar, Sunita Patre, Anita Patil, Abhijit Patil, and Rajendra Bhonsale, all residents of Worli.

Archbishop Dias has appreciated the prompt action of the police in nabbing the culprits and hoped that "those responsible for the assault will be brought to justice as soon as possible".

Meanwhile, armed policemen have been deployed at the school, which continues to function normally.

The Christian Attacks Row

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