Mumbai:
With the Municipal elections in Maharashtra nearing, both Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena are at it again. Its cadres have been resorting to violence, making a mockery of law and order by beating up teachers and principals over allegations of misconduct.
Jose Kurian, Principal, DAV Public School in Navi Mumbai was the latest victim of street justice of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. Raj Thackeray's men blackened the face of the Mr Kurian because MNS claims, the school was ferrying its students in unsafe buses without proper safety measures.
"I was almost crumbling because I knew what it means. This is very humiliating, hurting, shattering but at the same time I was trying to put up a brave face only for the students," said Mr Kurian.
Now, 200 schools across Pune and Mumbai have got together demanding the Maharashtra government to act and end the menace.
"This is not affecting just the principal and the teachers, its affecting the students as well. In fact the incident might have given the impression that well if you have the numbers you can get up and go to any place and bash up people and get your things done. Such message shouldn't be going to the students," said Ganesh Parameswaran, Principal, Poddar International School, Navi Mumbai.
"If the youths are resorting to such means to settle score either political or personal, I don't know, the situation is very scary for the students who are in our charge," said Asha Narayanan, Principal, St Mary's high school.
The schools have prepared a charter of demands. And topping their list is enforcement of laws under the Right to Education Act and extending protection to the teaching community. They also want the disruption by outsiders to be made a non-bailable offence, enforcement of trespassing laws and authorisation only to government officials and agencies to check on schools.
These demands have been prepared after a series of attacks.
In December, members of the youth wing of the Shiv Sena assaulted a teacher for allegedly slapping a Class X student. In November this year, upset over the leak of a question paper, the student wing of the MNS attacked and blackened the face of a Mumbai University official at Kalina.
In 2008, Shiv Sena activists assaulted the principal of King George School in Bhandup following allegations that a teacher had been molesting students.
The solidarity meet was to discuss how to tackle incidents where the temple of knowledge is attacked and vandalised by political outfits. Their next step will be to request the state education minister to get effective legislature in place and make such acts a non-bailable offence.