Christian Schools Face Trouble For Closing To Protest Orissa Violence

The government of Karnataka announced its decision to take action against Christian schools in that southern state for closing without prior permission.Vishweshar Hegde Kageri, Karnataka's minister for primary and secondary education, said he was "upset" at Christians closing their more than 2,000 schools in the state without getting permission from the government. He told reporters on Aug. 29 in the state capital of Bangalore that he has directed his officials to take action against the institutions that closed on Aug. 29.

However, Sister Ann Teresa, national president of the All India Association of Catholic Schools, told UCA News the educational institutions have the freedom to declare any five working days as holidays for their own reasons. "This freedom is enshrined in the education policy of the state, which the minister is unaware of," the Bethany nun said.
On the Christian protest day, Hindu radical groups demonstrated in front of a Catholic church of Gwalior diocese, in Madhya Pradesh state, central India. They also demonstrated in front of four Christian schools in Gwalior town, 320 kilometers south of New Delhi.

The demonstrators, some holding Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP, world council of Hindus) banners, destroyed lights near the gate. Police were called in and they prevented miscreants from entering the campus, the priest said.

The group then moved to St. Paul Lutheran School, threw stones at it and damaged a couple of buses parked inside the campus, he continued. Next they went to St. Teresa School and barged onto the campus, where they destroyed the two main doors and broke flower pots. They also threw stones at the Carmel convent school.

In Khandwa diocese, also in Madhya Pradesh, some VHP men issued threats of violence against St. Jude School. They reached the school on Aug. 28 and demanded it cancel its closure order, threatening to destroy the school if its administrators failed to comply with the demand.

VHP activists burned effigies of Pope Benedict XVI in front of diocesan-run St. Joseph school on Aug. 30, while shouting anti-Christian slogans. The activists tried to plant the VHP flag on the campus of a school in Satna diocese.

In all these places, VHP slogans asked Christians to explain why they killed Saraswati.
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