Police ignore attack on school: NGO
The dormitory remains closed after children were scared away last month
Pardi students in Pimpri Liasina outside their school
- ucanews.com reporter, Mumbai
- India
- July 16, 2012
An NGO in Pimpri Liasina has turned to the press after they say police failed to investigate an attack on an English-language school last month, representatives said on Friday.
Nitin Sardar, chairperson of Dinbandhu Trust, the Christian NGO that runs the school in Maharashtra state's Yavatmal district, said a group of around 20 people entered the dormitory of Ankur English Medium School on June 16, injuring staff and scaring students into going home.
Police have not taken any action, Sardar said. The dormitory, which housed about 20 students, has been closed. The majority of the 250 students at the school are from the Pardhi tribe, which was considered criminal under British rule and still faces discrimination.
Sardar alleged that a former member of parliament, Jambuwantrao Dhote, instigated the attackers by accusing the NGO of converting Pardhi children to Christianity.
Prakash Phuleny, a Pardhi parent, said the incident has so frightened the students that they do not want to go back to the hostel. “The goons did not spare even our women, who were also beaten up,” he said.
The press conference was staged to garner support for bringing the attackers to justice.
The incident shows the attackers wanted the Pardhi people to remain illiterate so that they can continue to exploit them, said Mahesh Bhatt, a film producer. He said it was “sad and shocking” that the attack was carried under the pretext of checking religious conversion.
The Pardi tribe was branded by the British as criminals in 1871 since they had supported some Hindu kingdoms that revolted against the colonists in 1857, said Laxman Mane, an expert on the Pardhi tribe. India has some 10 million Pardhi tribal people, who have become “a faceless, voiceless, landless community wandering in search of livelihood,” Mane said.
He said although the government has removed them from the list of criminal communities, police stations and government departments continue to treat them as such. “The stigma has not been wiped out and it is sad that when an NGO helps to educate them, some communal forces disrupt its good work,” he added.
Maulana Mustaquim Azmi, a Muslim leader, demanded the police arrest the culprits immediately and provide the NGO adequate police protection to manage the hostel to help the Pardhi children continue their education.
Nitin Sardar, chairperson of Dinbandhu Trust, the Christian NGO that runs the school in Maharashtra state's Yavatmal district, said a group of around 20 people entered the dormitory of Ankur English Medium School on June 16, injuring staff and scaring students into going home.
Police have not taken any action, Sardar said. The dormitory, which housed about 20 students, has been closed. The majority of the 250 students at the school are from the Pardhi tribe, which was considered criminal under British rule and still faces discrimination.
Sardar alleged that a former member of parliament, Jambuwantrao Dhote, instigated the attackers by accusing the NGO of converting Pardhi children to Christianity.
Prakash Phuleny, a Pardhi parent, said the incident has so frightened the students that they do not want to go back to the hostel. “The goons did not spare even our women, who were also beaten up,” he said.
The press conference was staged to garner support for bringing the attackers to justice.
The incident shows the attackers wanted the Pardhi people to remain illiterate so that they can continue to exploit them, said Mahesh Bhatt, a film producer. He said it was “sad and shocking” that the attack was carried under the pretext of checking religious conversion.
The Pardi tribe was branded by the British as criminals in 1871 since they had supported some Hindu kingdoms that revolted against the colonists in 1857, said Laxman Mane, an expert on the Pardhi tribe. India has some 10 million Pardhi tribal people, who have become “a faceless, voiceless, landless community wandering in search of livelihood,” Mane said.
He said although the government has removed them from the list of criminal communities, police stations and government departments continue to treat them as such. “The stigma has not been wiped out and it is sad that when an NGO helps to educate them, some communal forces disrupt its good work,” he added.
Maulana Mustaquim Azmi, a Muslim leader, demanded the police arrest the culprits immediately and provide the NGO adequate police protection to manage the hostel to help the Pardhi children continue their education.
