Indian Catholic college denies allegations of bias, conversion

A Church-run college in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has denied allegations of religious conversion and discrimination against students amid protests by hardline Hindu activists. “The allegations leveled against St. Dominic Savio College in Lucknow are totally false and baseless,” said Father Donald D’Souza, the spokesperson of Lucknow diocese, which manages the institution. Activists of the Hindu Mahasabha, or grand assembly of Hindus, a right-wing organization, protested in front of the college on April 15. They told media the college management had “detained some students on the campus with an ulterior motive to convert them.” They also alleged that Hindu students were not allowed to wear their religious symbols like the sacred thread and tilak, a mark on the forehead to indicate caste or sect status, on the campus. These allegations were also posted on social media, and the Hindu Mahasabha wanted district authorities to take action against the institution. The college, in its April 15 statement, denied the “claims circulating on Facebook that the institution discriminated against students on religious grounds, leading to their detention in Class 11.” The institution, which started 48 years ago in the state capital, said the allegations were “misleading and disturbing.” “The decision to detain certain students was based purely on academic performance,” the statement clarified, adding that the students in question “have consistently underperformed throughout the academic year, showing little to no improvement despite repeated interventions.”