Feature Image Courtesy: BBC Tamil, The Hill
The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court denied bail to 12 individuals who were accused of stoking communal tensions by a Tahsildar in Tenkasi district allegedly for mobilizing people in a village to withdraw their wards from a government-aided Christian school as they feared proselytization attempts.
Acchankuttam is a village located in Veerakeralampudur taluk of Tenkasi district in Tamil Nadu home to approximately 1000 families, with the majority being Hindus and a minority following Christianity. In this village, there exists a government-aided TDTA Primary School, overseen by the Tirunelveli District Trust Association (TDTA) and managed by the Tirunelveli CSI Diocese. In 2018, the school was shifted to another location as the building became old. Following the relocation of this government-aided school, which had been in operation for over half a century, the school’s administration decided to construct a church on the former school premises which was opposed by the villagers.
In March of 2023, Hindu parents residing in Acchankuttam village took a significant step by stopping more than a 100 of their children to the school due to concerns about proselytization. Parents have claimed that their children were being engaged in prayer activities, which raised concerns.
According to a report by BBC Tamil, Azhagu Muthu, a resident of Acchankuttam, stated that she noticed change in her children’s behavior. She said that her children when asked to pray, would say we will do “jebam” (like Christians say).
“My husband Subramaniam works as a labourer. I work at a beedi factory. Till last year, my eldest daughter studied in the 4th standard, youngest daughter in the 3rd standard, and son in 1st standard at this school. After the school moved to a new location in the north of the town, the children’s behaviour began to change. If I asked them to pray, they said we will “do jabam” (as Christians say). The change in the way the children spoke and behaved alarmed us. We did not send our children to that school after that for fear that they would change their religion,” Azhagu Muthu had said according to the BBC report as translated by the Hindu Post.
She also highlighted that she and many others from her village had received their primary education at this school without such issues in the past.
Soundar Raj, a resident with a son studying in the school in question, raised concerns about conversion efforts at the school. He mentioned that students were being compelled to purchase books related to Christianity, and he opted not to send his son to that school. He emphasized the need for a government school within their town as a permanent solution.
The parents obtained transfer certificates and have appealed to the Tenakasi District Collector and the education department to establish a government school within Acchankuttam. Presently, more than 150 students have withdrawn from the school and according to a report by Daily Thanthi, 76 students have got Transfer Certificates.
The village currently has only one government-aided primary school in the town center, with another school located about 6 kilometers away. Residents find it impractical for their children to travel such a distance on their own and have urged the authorities to establish a government school within their village. They also submitted a petition to Chief Minister M K Stalin requesting a government school in their village. Over 400 people signed the petition, alleging that the administration of the aided primary school was attempting to build a church on a government poromboke land.
“Opposing the construction, we held a road blockade in March and the police arrested us. Since then, we stopped sending our children to that particular school. We have also petitioned the district collector and other officials seeking steps to establish a government school in our village. Our children have to travel to a government school located six km away from our village for writing annual exams,” they said in their petition.
Tenkasi District Chief Education Officer Muthiah had committed to preparing and submitting a comprehensive report to the education department. He noted that while the government would ultimately decide on the school’s establishment, locals were advised to enroll their children in a school of their choice.
On 7 August 2023, the villagers organized a demonstration in Veerakeralampudur against the conversion attempts by the school.
Tenkasi Revenue Commissioner Lavanya refuted the conversion allegations, stating that the residents’ complaint was unfounded. She indicated that the residents’ demands had been forwarded to the government and urged parents not to keep their children away from school until the demands were considered. Lavanya also mentioned that notices had been sent to parents, warning of potential actions under the Right To Education Act if children were not sent to school. The district administration held discussions with Acchankuttam residents, advising them to transfer dropout students to other schools and providing necessary transport facilities.
In the meantime, the Tahsildar has lodged a complaint against individuals who played a prominent role in the peaceful protest aimed at obtaining Transfer Certificates for their children and accordingly a case was filed by the Surandai police against 12 people for stoking “communal tensions”.
They submitted bail applications to the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court asserting that they were not responsible for causing communal conflicts and alleged that the police had falsely implicated them based on a fabricated complaint from Revenue Department officials.
The bail petition came for hearing before Justice Ilangovan on 27 September 2023. The DMK government’s counsel argued that providing education to children up to the 5th grade is mandatory, and failing to send children to school constitutes a legal violation. He noted that the School Education Department had issued notices to the parents involved. Expressing concerns about potential disruptions to law and order stemming from the actions of the petitioners, he urged the court not to grant bail.
Following this Justice Ilangovan dismissed the anticipatory bail petitions.
(With inputs from Hindu Post, The New Indian Express, Daily Thanthi)
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