STUDENTS at Mission Higher Secondary School in Seoni had alleged on Monday that the school management was forcing them to recite prayers from the Bible and say ‘Amen’ after refer ring to God as ‘the Supreme Father’. On Tuesday, the District Education Officer (DEO) issued a notice to the Principal and the acting Principal, seeking their response in the matter. The students allege that prayers related to a specific religion are being con ducted in the school.

 

 

Following these allegations, activists from the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal arrived at the scene and demanded action. Upon receiving the information, the station house officer and the Naib Tehsildar prepared a report of the incident and submitted it to the authorities. The protesters alleged that the school was trying to indoctrinate children into a particular religion, which they deemed completely wrong and inappropriate. Sujal Mishra, the district convener of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), stated that students at Mission School are being asked to repeat certain lines from the Bible and say ‘Amen’.

 

 

He also alleged that students are being told not to wear bracelets, apply tilak, or wear sacred threads to school. Naib Tehsildar, who arrived at the scene, spoke to students and seized a new rule book found in the classroom. DEO S S Kumre said that further action will be taken after receiving school man agement’s response. Madhulika Singh, the acting Principal, said that after their prayer service con cluded, some members of Bajrang Dal arrived and accused them of engaging in religious conversion activities. She stated that they were simply following practices that have been in place for years. She also mentioned that she was In-charge only for that day.