Catholic school teacher faces 'conversion' allegation
Parent of a 10th-class student alleges she took him to church every day and made him accept Christianity
A Catholic school in a northern Uttar Pradesh state is under siege over an allegation that a woman teacher allegedly converted a student to Christianity.
Members of the Students’ Union, protested before the St. Aloysius High School in the cantonment area of Kanpur city on Oct. 16.
“They tried to forcibly enter the school premises but were pacified by army officials,” Father Reginald D’Souza, public relations officer of Allahabad diocese, which manages the school, told to News on Oct. 17.
The accused teacher has been suspended pending an inquiry. She is facing an allegation of taking a tenth-grade student to a nearby church daily and pursuing him to accept Christianity.
“We are surprised to hear the allegation. The school has been running here for the last 75 years and has produced many prominent people,” school principal Father Walter D’Souza told the media on Oct. 15.
He said the allegation is baseless because the church is open only on Sundays.
“The school also has CCTV cameras installed in its premises and the police are free to check the footage,” the principal said.
The alleged conversion was reported to the police by the boy’s father, D’Souza said.
In his complaint, the parent claimed that his son was converted on Oct. 1. The boy's behavior changed after the conversion and he needs counseling now, he added.
Braj Narain Singh, an assistant commissioner of police in Kanpur city, told the media that police are investigating the complaint. The Students Union demanded the teacher be arrested for violating the state’s anti-conversion law enacted in 2021.
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