Catholic body condemns threats to Mumbai's Christian-run schools.

Mumbai: The Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS) has condemned the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) over its threats to Chrisitan-run schools and has urged the Maharashtra government to protect educational institutions.

MNS activists yesterday barged into Victoria School, Mahim, asking the school authorities to introduce Marathi from Standard 1.

The school told them that it was for the Education Department to take a decision on the matter and that they should approach the government.

In another instance, the activists threatened the authorities of the Sacred Heart School, Santacruz, on Wednesday of a demonstration if five students were not granted admission. "But the presence of hundreds of supporters - parents of students, sympathetic citizens and parishioners - who had gathered this morning to express their solidarity as well as the presence of police dissuaded the MNS from carrying out their threats," D'Souza, a BCS leader, told Gulf News. He said the Khar police station was very cooperative and were ready to tackle any law and order problem. Father Abel Fernandes, principal of the Sacred Heart School, told this paper that he had refused to admit the students that MNS activists recommended. He said though the activists threatened to return yesterday, they did not.

Meanwhile, the BCS has urged the government to take steps to stop such intimidation tactics that scare the students and staff. "The chief minister and deputy chief minister must intervene and provide security to educational institutions," says D'Souza. He has also demanded legislation to safeguard and protect educational institutions from "such type of intimidation".

In another incident last month, armed police had to be rushed to Mary Immaculate School at I.C. Colony, Borivili, following fears of violence erupting over school admission between MNS activists and a group of parents who had come forward to support the school. Some MNS workers, who had alleged that the school was converting students to Christianity, had demanded a quota for Marathi-speaking students.

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