Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Bangalore (AOB) Peter Machado has reacted to the ongoing row over a Christian school in the city being targeted by a Hindu group, calling their allegations of “imposing” the Bible and “forced conversions” false and misleading. After a complaint from members of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti against Clarence High School in Bengaluru, a Christian educational institute founded by missionaries, the Karnataka government announced a probe into the issue, following directions from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).
The Archbishop strongly refuted claims of students being “forced” to bring the Bible to school and allegations of forced religious conversions, saying Christian minority institutions were being targeted by a communal bogey. He also pointed to the Karnataka government’s plans to introduce Hindu religious texts like Bhagavad Gita as moral science, and questioned if that can be considered as inducing students to be converted to those particular religions.
“The burden of the allegation lies in providing tangible proof of conversion in the school. Let any member of the public provide even a single instance of conversion in hundreds of schools run by the Christian managements in the last few decades,” Machado said in a press statement,
Clarence High School, located in Richards Town in central Bengaluru, is owned and run by Christian missionaries as a minority institution. The ongoing row erupted when the Hindu Janajagriti Samiti found an application form for Class 11 admissions, which stated, "You affirm that your child will attend all classes including Morning Assembly Scripture Class and Clubs for his/her own moral and spiritual welfare and will not object to carry the Bible and Hymn Book during his/her stay at Clarence High School (sic)." The Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, claimed that the school “violated and misused” Article 25 of the Constitution, which deals with freedom of religion.
Many alumni of the school have said that Bible studies have happened in the school for years, and that parents are clearly informed at the time of students joining that the Bible is taught there and the education is Christian value-based. They also pointed out that the school was explicitly set up as a Christian minority institution, and condemned attempts to communalise the issue.
The Archbishop said that the management of Clarence High School has justified that moral education, based on the examples of the Bible, cannot be considered forced religious education. He also noted that institutions run by other religious sects also give religious instructions based on their sacred books, and said it was “extremely unfair to target only the Christian institutions.” Referring to the state government’s plans to introduce moral science lessons on Bhagavad Gita and other religious scriptures, Machado said, “If children are requested to buy books of Bhagavad Gita or other religions, can it be considered as forcing them to be influenced or inducing them to be converted to these particular religions? Certainly not!”
He also added that the management of Clarence High School has clarified that while such a practice was there in the past, since last year, no child is required to bring Bible to the school or asked to read it by force.
The Archbishop said that a communal bogey was targeting a Christian school with the intent of discrediting the work done by Christian minority institutions in education and healthcare. “We are aware that the majority of Hindus are with us, and it is obvious that the same communal bogey, which is all out to divert attention from the basic problems, is besetting the society. Undoubtedly, it is having a "hidden agenda" to discredit the good work done by the Christian minority, especially in the field of education, social and health care,” he said.
“When our Christian minority institutions are rendering selfless services to the society without any discrimination or partiality, levelling such false accusations and causing harassment by some fundamental groups and education department cannot be condoned,” he added.