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Bhopal, August 12 (HS) This time the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has already issued a warning against schools, especially missionary schools, adopting a negative and malicious attitude towards the symbols of Hindu religion and society. NCPCR Chairman Priyank Kanungo has issued clear guidelines in view of Rakshabandhan, Janmashtami and other upcoming festivals. It has been clearly stated in this directive that “It is a crime to hurt the religious sentiments of children. Now no school can stop children from coming to school wearing Tilak and Mehendi on festivals, Rakhi and Kalawa. Send a complaint of violation by the school to the Child Commission.”
In the instructions issued by the Chairman of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, it is clearly written that, “The festival of Rakshabandhan is coming, children will come to school wearing rakhi, tilak and mehndi, in such a situation schools should maintain respect for their religious beliefs. If any school punishes children on these issues during the festival, then legal action will be taken against the school. Necessary instructions have been issued to the state governments in this regard.”
It is worth mentioning that last year and in the past few years, many complaints have been coming from across the country in which children who come to schools wearing Raksha Sutra have been targeted. A case of cutting rakhi from the hands of students came to light in the missionary school Holy Family Convent located on Bhamora Road in Aonla Tehsil area in Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh. The principal here had made an announcement in the morning prayer and had the Kalawa and Rakhi removed from the hands of all the children. When the workers of Vishwa Hindu Parishad came to know about this and registered their protest, then after the matter escalated, the school management accepted its mistake. The school's vice principal Sophie Maria had then said that the school respects all religions, if anyone's sentiments have been hurt on behalf of the school family, then we apologize for that.
A similar incident was reported in Hapur in Uttar Pradesh. In the Christian school St. Anthony Senior Secondary School here, the Rakhi and Kalawa tied on the hands of the students were forcibly removed and they were asked to throw it in the dustbin. In this Christian school, the tilak on the forehead of the students was also removed on the day of Raksha Bandhan.
One such case is of Infant Mary English Medium School of Katipalla, Mangaluru in Karnataka. The teachers of the missionary school removed the rakhis from the hands of the children who had worn them on the Rakshabandhan festival in the school by the sisters and threw them in the dustbin calling them garbage. After getting information about the incident, the parents and guardians of the children protested at Infant Mary English School. When the matter progressed, the school convener Father Santosh Lobo clarified the entire incident. He said, the teachers must have mistaken the rakhi for a friendship band. There is no restriction on wearing rakhi in school. Lobo said that the teachers must have done this due to ignorance. We do not interfere in religious traditions. Those who made the mistake have apologized.
A similar incident happened in Gujarat as well. Rakhi, the sacred thread that symbolizes the sacred bond between brother and sister in Indian culture, was forced to be removed and a case of scissors being used was reported in Mount Carmel, a missionary school in Gandhinagar. The government also swung into action as soon as the incident came to light. This incident happened with students of class three and five.
If we look at it this way, many cases come to light every year across the country, in which Rakhi is removed just like that, while in schools, along with removing the Tilak, children are asked to throw their Kalava and Raksha Sutra (Rakhi) in the dustbin with their own hands. If a child refuses to do so, he is harassed. In such a situation, with the aim of preventing all these incidents from happening in future and creating public awareness, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has already issued this order.
Madhya Pradesh Child Protection Commission has also reacted to this letter. SCPCR Chairman Dravindr More and members Omkar Singh, Dr. Nivedita Sharma, Sonam Ninama have welcomed this directive. They have said that this time there will definitely be a decrease in the negative news coming from missionary schools after Raksha Bandhan. No one will be able to forcefully remove the Raksha Sutra from anyone's hand.
