Cardinal Toppo resigns as Ranchi Archbishop
Ranchi, June 24: Cardinal Telopspore P Toppo on Sunday resigned as the Archbishop of Ranchi.
While a church source said that he was miffed over gang-rape of five tribal girls in which a priest was arrested, Catholic Bishops Conference of India General Secretary Theodore Mascarenhas, in a press conference the Archbishop House here, said the Cardinal, who is now 87, had submitted his resignation to Pope Francis couple of years ago but it had been rejected and he had been given an extension.
However with the changing circumstances, specially with Cardinal Toppo's declining health, the Pope has finally accepted his resignation as appointed Bishop Felix Toppo of Jamshedpur to replace him as Archbishop.
Speaking on the occasion, Cardinal Toppo said: "34 years of functioning as the archbishop is a result of dedication towards good and the cooperation of the people".
He also cited his bad health condition as responsible for his resignation.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
