The principal of a Christian-run school in Telangana's Mancherial district told certain Hindu students not to wear saffron-coloured clothing to class without permission, which sparked a Hindutva mob's vandalism on Tuesday, according to The Indian Express.
The incident took in Kannepalli village's St. Mother Teresa English Medium School, place. According to reports, the principal had requested that the Hindu students, who were dressed in saffron to commemorate Hanuman Deeksha, bring their parents to class.
A conversation between the parents and the school administration took a violent turn on Tuesday.
“The principal told the students to come in uniform and that if they wanted to wear saffron clothes, they had to get permission,” Mancherial Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Kumar told the newspaper. “That triggered the parents.”
He added: “It was a Tuesday and there was a temple nearby and all this escalated and led to vandalism.”
In Hinduism, Tuesday is a popular day for Hanuman prayers, Scroll.in reported.
Social media users posted videos of the incident, which showed a crowd damaging the school while shouting "Jai Sri Ram" and dressed in saffron. The crowd also made the principal of the school chant "Jai Shri Ram" and put vermillion on his face.
“It was a miscommunication and false news was spread on social media leading to over 500 people reaching the school on Tuesday morning,” Father Jaimon Joseph, a member of the Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament that runs the school said. He claimed that the attack was pre-planned and that the vandalism went on for about four hours.
“Had their [students’] parents even telephoned us, we would have granted the permission,” Joseph said. “On Tuesday morning, one of the students still came in saffron clothes and we did not stop the student. By then, a huge mob came to school and attacked us.”
Two first information reports have been filed by the police in response to complaints expressed by parents and school administrators. The parents of a boy filed a complaint alleging that their son and two other Class 4 students were denied entry to the school because they were dressed in "Hanuman Mala deeksha" attire.
The parents claimed that the principal of the school purposefully offended their religious feelings and encouraged animosity between religions. Four suspects were named by the school administration in their complaint for trespassing, forcibly restraining the principal, and physically abusing him. They alleged that the crowd had damaged the Mother Teresa statue and the school's gates, resulting in a loss of Rs 30,000.
The Marxist Communist Party of India denounced the act, calling it "abhorrent and unjustifiable."
“We urge the authorities to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice and ensure the safety of minority communities,” the party said in a post on social media.