St. Gerosa school incident: Suspended teacher did not hurt Hindu religious feelings: Says school
Adds management was forced by MLA Vedavyas Kamath to suspend her
Mangalore: St. Gerosa Convent School in Mangalore has issued a press statement addressing the recent incident involving Sister Prabha, who was suspended amid allegations of making derogatory remarks about the Hindu religion and the Prime Minister during a lesson on Rabindranath Tagore's poem 'Work is Worship.'
The school management provided a detailed account of the events, emphasizing that the controversy stemmed from an anonymous complaint received on February 10. The complainants accused Sister Prabha of making offensive statements, prompting the headmistress to initiate an immediate inquiry.
Sister Prabha firmly denied the allegations, and the management explained that the poem, 'Work is Worship,' was taught with specific emphasis on respecting all religions. The interpretation included the following key points:
1. Clarification that temples, churches, and mosques are physical structures, and God resides in human hearts, discouraging harm to individuals in the name of religion.
2. Encouraging respect for work and recognizing the divine in fellow human beings.
3. Highlighting that God exists within people, and everyone is a temple of God.
The school management stated unequivocally that Sister Prabha did not make derogatory remarks against any religion, including Hinduism, or the Prime Minister. A complaint was filed with the district administration against an anonymous woman whose audio message had gone viral, allegedly containing false accusations.
Officials from the education department visited the school on February 12 to inquire into the matter. Subsequently, the situation escalated with the arrival of local MLA Vedavyas Kamath and Hindutva activists, who protested outside the school premises. Despite an invitation, MLA Kamath refused to enter the school, choosing instead to incite students against their institution, the press statement issued by Sr. Anitha, the headmistress of the school asserted.
“On 12th February from the Department of Education, a Subject Inspector from BEO Office, a Co-ordinator from DDPI office, BEO, ECO and CRP visited the school for whom the truth was explained on their request.
This was followed by the arrival of local MLA Vedavyas Kamath with a group of Hindutwa activists who shouted slogans against the school. The management recognized his presence, owed him due respect and invited him inside the school, but he refused to come in but protested against the school and management. It was hurting to see that MLA who should have been a person for all, gathered the children around him and instigated them to shout slogans, against their own school. The students who were not in the class while teaching the poem, but of other classes were also made to shout slogans,” the statement added.
Under mounting pressure from the protesting crowd, MLA Kamath demanded Sister Prabha's immediate dismissal without due inquiry. To maintain law and order and disperse the gathering mob, the headmistress, Sr. Anitha, reluctantly issued a statement suspending Sister Prabha from her position. It is crucial to note that Sister Prabha has 16 years of teaching experience, with an unblemished record, including five years at Gerosa School, it added.
The school management is raising questions about the authenticity and motives of the woman in the viral audio, calling for a thorough investigation. They assert that the incident appears staged to tarnish the school's image and underscore their commitment to a secular outlook by annually celebrating Diwali, Christmas, and Eid without any form of discrimination.
“Critical point of the whole episode which needs to be looked into is - Whether the lady who spoke about the school in viral audio is actually a parent of Gerosa student. If not, what is her agenda behind making such bald allegations. If she was a parent why she did not give a written complaint to the school management about the issue.
“It appears that the incident/ protest was stage managed to tarnish the image of school, which has been imparting quality education with minimum fees. We being secular in our outlook always respect all students and do not discriminate anyone on the basis of caste, creed and religion. Every year we celebrate Deepavali, Christmas and Eid.” It added.
The press statement concludes by acknowledging that media personnel were not allowed inside the Gerosa premises during the incident.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
