A mob has attacked the principal of a private high school in the western Indian city of Pune.
The incident took place on July 4 when a group of parents, accompanied by the members Bajrang Dal, assaulted the principal of the D Y Patil High School for allegedly singing a school prayer with the phrase “Dear Lord.”
The school, established in 2002, is situated in Pune’s Talegaon Dabhade area.
The attack was captured by some school staff and it went viral forcing the police to intervene. The video shows the principal Alexander Coates Reid, a Christian, being chased by some 30 people who shouted “Har Har Mahadev.”
The newindianexpress.com reported that the mob attacked Reid and the police booked him for forcing the students to take part Christian prayers.
It also reported that several parents had complained about their children being forced to recite Christian prayer. They also said that the students were not given holidays for Hindu festivals.
However, the wire.in portal quoted an official from the Talegaon police station to say that Reid was a “strict teacher” and a few parents were waiting to confront him. “They decided to make an issue out of a non-issue, involve local vigilante groups and attack the principal,” said Police Inspector Ranjit Sawant.