India: Christian principal assaulted by Hindu activists for making students recite ‘Christian prayers'

Alexander Coates Reid, a Christian principal was attacked by Hindu activists for making students recite Christian prayers in a private school on July 4 in the western Indian city of Pune.

A group of parents and Bajrang Dal members attacked the principal of D Y Patil High School and accused him of using the term "Dear Lord" in the school prayer.

D Y Patil High School was established in 2002 and is situated in Pune’s Talegaon Dabhade area.

School employees videotaped the attack, and it went viral, forcing police to intervene. The video shows Christian principal Alexander Coates Reid running from about 30 individuals who are chanting "Har Har Mahadev" (Everyone is Lord Shiva).

According to newindianexpress.com, Reid was attacked by a mob and arrested for forcing students to participate in Christian prayers during the attack.

Parents also complained about forcing their children to recite Christian prayers and complained that Hindu festival holidays were not provided for students.

The allegation against Reid also included the installation of CCTV cameras in girls' washrooms.

An official from the Talegaon police station, however, said that Reid was considered a “strict teacher” and some parents were waiting for him to confront them.

According to Police Inspector Ranjit Sawant, they made an issue out of nothing, involving local vigilantes and attacking the principal.

Sawant also said the attack was preplanned. The group had earlier approached the school against the CCTV camera installation in the passage outside the school toilet.

Hindutva activists and parents twisted this into something perverse. They claimed cameras had been set up inside the toilet. Which is untrue,” Sawant said. After parents objected to the cameras, school management agreed to remove them.

Furthermore, the news portal reported that the group had issues with the prayer listed on the school calendar. According to Sawant, the prayer mentions only the words 'Dear Lord' and does not mention any specific religion.

In the attack, Reid's clothes were torn and he was thoroughly beaten by the Hindutva group after they wanted the prayer removed from the school book. Management promised to investigate the issue, and the attack left Reid badly bruised.

Sawant said Reid and the school management have neither complained to the police and the mob has filed a formal complaint with the police.

He said, “Our inquiry has not progressed to a First Information Report (FIR), but based on our visit to the school, and reviewing the evidence, it is evident that Ried was the target of discrimination because he is a Christian."

As alleged in the police complaint, there is no evidence that he was involved in religious conversion or sexual harassment of girls," Sawant said.

Twitter Video of the incident can be viewed: https://twitter.com/KachhawaGayatri/status/1676613609940713473?s=20