Hindu activists protest at a Catholic school in Tripura demanding a puja, sparking tension, police action, and warnings of rising religious polarization.
Newsroom (26/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) A small Catholic-run school in Dharmanagar, in northern Tripura, has become the latest flashpoint in India’s growing debate over religion, education, and minority rights. Activists from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), a right-wing Hindu nationalist organization, staged a demonstration outside the Holy Cross Convent School last week, demanding that the institution permit a Hindu religious ceremony—the Saraswati Puja—inside its premises.
The confrontation escalated quickly, forcing the school to suspend classes and call for police intervention. What could have been a quiet preparation week before India’s Republic Day instead turned into a test of constitutional rights and communal sensitivity.
Protest and Police Intervention
The VHP argued that their request was simple: with more than 70 percent of the school’s students belonging to the Hindu community, they said the celebration would honor cultural traditions and the goddess of knowledge, Saraswati. According to VHP leaders, the initiative was intended to respect students’ faith, not to ignite division.
The school administration, however, rejected the proposal outright. Holy Cross Convent follows the long-standing policy of the Holy Cross educational network, which prohibits any religious rites—of any denomination—on campus. This policy, the principal explained, safeguards the secular nature of the institution and applies equally to all faiths.
As tempers flared outside the school gates, local authorities deployed police to prevent clashes. Administrators suspended classes for the day, later convening a meeting with parents to clarify the school’s position and emphasize its commitment to safety and dialogue.
A Meeting Turns Confrontational
Eyewitnesses described a tense scene at the parent–teacher meeting. Several parents supported the request for the puja to be conducted on school grounds. The tension peaked when some reportedly surrounded the principal, Sister Pushpa BS—an incident that activists joined before police intervened to restore order. No one was injured, but the episode left teachers shaken and underscored growing hostility against minority-run schools in India’s northeastern frontier.
“This was the second attack,” Sister Pushpa told AsiaNews. “The mob first came on January 16 and demanded the puja be performed, making offensive remarks about my faith and warning of consequences if I refused.” The nun said the crowd returned on January 22, larger and more aggressive, reiterating their demands.
Despite the pressure, she insisted, the school has always served all communities. Of its 686 students, the vast majority are Hindu, with only a minority of Christian and other faiths. “Our mission is to provide quality, value-based education,” she said, “and to contribute to nation-building through our educational apostolate.”
The Church’s Response
Monsignor Lumen Monteiro, Bishop of Agartala, condemned the protests, calling them part of a growing campaign to sow division in India’s multicultural society. “This is a minority Christian educational institution,” he said. “We are Indians, proud of our Constitution, which protects the rights of every community.”
The bishop described the accusations of forced conversions as “unfounded and false,” adding that the request came “on the very eve of Republic Day, the day we celebrate the birth of the Constitution that enshrines equality and freedom of religion.” He pointed out that Saraswati Puja could have been observed elsewhere, as it was already a public holiday, and questioned the motives behind the pressure.
“The Sisters of Bethany run a highly respected school that offers a value-driven education,” Bishop Monteiro said. “No religious traditions are practiced internally. Demanding such a festival on campus is both unreasonable and unlawful.”
He warned that continuing such confrontations risks polarizing communities that have long coexisted peacefully. “Even well-integrated parents are being forced to take sides,” he said. “This is dangerous—it fractures the social fabric of an otherwise harmonious society.”
Broader Context of Intimidation
The confrontation in Dharmanagar underscores a wider trend of religious assertion by Hindu nationalist groups across India, particularly targeting Christian and Muslim institutions. Schools run by church organizations—long respected for academic excellence—have increasingly faced scrutiny and allegations of proselytization, most of them unsubstantiated.
For the educators at Holy Cross Convent, the episode was a reminder of how fragile interfaith harmony can become when political and religious agendas collide. The principal and her staff now work under tighter security and with a renewed plea for understanding. As India prepared to celebrate its Republic Day, the constitutional promise of equality and secularism echoed as both shield and challenge—a call to preserve unity amid deepening polarization.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Asianews.it
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