Hindu activists vandalise Catholic school, 'assault' priest

NT Correspondent

Adilabad: Telangana Paramilitary forces have been dispatched to a Catholic school in Telangana following an attack by right-wing Hindu activists who vandalised the premises and assaulted a priest.

The assailants, on April 16, accused the school management of offending religious sentiments by questioning students who wore religious attire instead of the uniform, according to a media report.

Draped in saffron shirts and shawls, a mob stormed the St. Mother Teresa English Medium School in Kannepally, a village in the Mancherial district, approximately 625 km southeast of Hyderabad, the state capital.

Shouting "Jai Shree Ram," the mob hurled stones at the statue of St. Mother Teresa at the school's entrance and vandalized the security office.

They proceeded to ransack the school's interior, breaking windows, flower pots, and office furniture. Father Jaimon Joseph, the school manager, was assaulted but rescued by fellow staff members.

"They slapped my face and punched my stomach. Someone even struck me from behind," Father Joseph, a member of the Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, recounted to Matters India on April 17.