A disciplinary dispute at St. Teresa Academy in Modinagar, Ghaziabad, briefly took a communal turn this week after a Physical Training teacher levelled allegations of forced religious conversion against the school management, triggering protests by Hindutva organisations. The controversy ended on May 7 after the teacher withdrew her accusations and police found no evidence to support the claims.
The trouble began on May 5 when Aruna Rani, a PT teacher who has worked at the school since 2012, alleged that the management had pressured her to convert her religion and remove tattoos of “Om” and “Mahadev” from her hand. Members of Bajrang Dal and Hindu Raksha Dal gathered outside the school, raised slogans, and spray-painted “Jai Shri Ram” and “Om” symbols on the school gates. The groups remained through the day and returned on May 6.
School manager Fr. Jesu Amritham and principal Sr. Lourd denied the allegations outright from the start, saying the matter arose from internal conduct issues involving the teacher and bore no connection to religion or conversion.
Sr. Lourd told Catholic Connect that Aruna Rani had a long record of misconduct, citing abusive language with students and parents, improper conduct with colleagues, and repeated refusal to accept correction. “She never accepted corrections in a good spirit. Sometimes corrections were given softly, sometimes sternly, depending on the situation, but there was no improvement,” the principal said. The school also alleged financial irregularities, stating the teacher had failed to submit proper accounts for collections related to school activities and transport. Sr. Lourd added that the previous management had faced similar issues and that the institution held written apology letters the teacher had submitted on earlier occasions.
The school linked the flare-up to a Transfer Certificate. The teacher’s child had been studying in Class 3, and the child’s father applied for a TC on March 9 and collected it on March 19. “After this incident, matters escalated further and she began finding fault with people in the school,” Sr. Lourd said.
The principal also addressed a claim circulating among protesters. “We have not terminated her and no removal notice has been issued,” she said, adding that the teacher had spread false information suggesting she had already been removed from service.
Police deployed personnel to the campus and helped maintain order. Senior officers, including the ACP, assured the school no harm would come to the institution and informed the management that parents and former students had contacted police to express support. The protesting groups demanded the teacher be retained until retirement, a demand the management said would be handled through institutional procedures.
On May 7, the matter reached a swift conclusion. The teacher withdrew her allegations after discussions with family members and local authorities, and informed police she had no further complaint against the institution. After a preliminary inquiry, police stated they had found no evidence of religious conversion activities at the school and initiated no action against it.
“We have prayer services as part of our institution, but there is no forced conversion here,” Sr. Lourd said.
