Parent of St. Gerosa School student complains of getting intimidating, demeaning WhatsApp messages

Parent of St. Gerosa School student complains of getting intimidating, demeaning WhatsApp messages

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Feb 23, 2024: The controversy over the alleged derogatory remarks against Lord Ram and Hinduism reportedly by an English teacher of St. Gerosa English Higher Primary School in Mangaluru has turned murkier, with the parent of a student complaining to the police that she had been intimidated through WhatsApp texts and voice messages which demeaned her character and made derogatory remarks against Lord Ram.

 

In the complaint to the Kankanady Town police, 42-year-old Kavita Gangadhar, a resident of Jeppinamogaru, said two voice messages on the alleged derogatory remarks by Sister Prabha, a teacher of the school, were circulated on social media on February 10. This led to her and other parents visiting the school and also filing a complaint seeking action against the teacher.

This was followed by a protest of parents outside the school on February 12 in which Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyas Kamath also took part.

On February 15 at about 9.30 p.m., she allegedly received a WhatsApp message from a number registered in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) claiming that she (Ms. Kavita) was the person who created the two voice messages that resulted in the controversy. It also mentioned about her work as an honourary teacher in an English medium school at Thokkottu in the city.

Following this message, she had been receiving phone calls from unknown numbers and also through WhatsApp, she said in the complaint.

The complaint added that at about 5.30 p.m. on February 17, she received two voice messages in Tulu on WhatsApp from a number registered in the U.A.E. The messages demeaned her character and made derogatory remarks against Lord Ram, she alleged.

The Kankanady police registered her complaint on February 20 for offences punishable under Sections 153 A, 504, 507 and 509 of the Indian Penal Code and also under Section 66 (D) of Information Technology Act.

Meanwhile, Ms. Kavita and other parents of class VII students have given their statements before S. Akash, Additional Commissioner, Department of School Education, Kalaburagi division, who heads the fact-finding committee set up by the State government related to the controversy.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said in a statement on Wednesday that Ms. Kavita was working in an English school at Thokkottu. The school had discontinued her services following the controversy. In view of the threatening calls, Ms. Kavitha should get suitable protection from the police, said VHP Mangaluru Vibhag secretary Deviprasad Shetty.

Meanwhile, the school has clarified that its teacher did not make any derogatory remakrs against anybody in the classroom.

Courtesy: The Hindu