Pune School Principal Assaulted by Mob Raising Hindutva Slogans
6 July 2023 | The Wire
A group of parents, accompanied by members of the vigilante right-wing group Bajrang Dal, entered the premises of a school in Pune’s Talegaon Dabhade area on Tuesday and assaulted the school principal for allegedly singing a school prayer with the phrase “Dear Lord”. The attack, which was captured by some of the school staff, soon went viral on social media, forcing the police to step in. The teacher, Alexander Coates Reid, was seen in a viral video being chased by a mob of over 25-30 persons, chanting “Har Har Mahadev”.
An official from the Talegaon MIDC Police Station that is looking into the matter told The Wire that Reid is 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 of the Talegaon MIDC area.
