Tamil Nadu minorities panel sees ‘ulterior motive’ in state child rights body’s conversion claim

“The State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) is a statutory body. Its chairperson was appointed by the previous (AIADMK) government. We get the impression that the commission is acting with an ulterior motive. This is among the many measures taken to spread false charges of conversion and convert the state into a morgue. I do not know why this matter was brought to the governor’s notice. We fear that a conspiracy is at work against minority institutions in the state,” he told reporters.

“This is done to bring a bad reputation to the government and to disturb religious harmony and create hatred among communities… Did (SCPCR chairperson) Saraswathi Rangasamy inspect the place on her own, or was she directed by someone? We need answers to these questions,” he added.

Alphonse questioned Rangasamy and SCPCR member Saranya T Jaikumar’s claims that they had found “irregularities” at the school and that the children need to be shifted to a government home. “They did not provide any notification before visiting the place. They had threatened the warden and the children here,” he said. “The next day, the parents told the school management that it could not send their children anywhere without their consent.”

Alphonse said the school’s director had then informed the social welfare minister and that an IAS officer later visited the school, suggested a few changes and decided that the children need not be sent anywhere. But the SCPCR chairperson and the member told reporters that children had been forcibly converted at the school, he said. He requested Chief Minister M K Stalin to take action against the SCPCR officials for “conducting an inspection without following due process”.

According to Alphonse, the school and its hostel have been operating for over 100 years. “As many as 740 girl students and 82 male students are studying here. In the hostel alone, there are 56 students. Of this, around 40 per cent of students belong to the Hindu community, 40 per cent to the Muslim community and the rest are Christians. All of them hail from economically disadvantaged families,” he said.

After their inspection on September 6, Rangasamy and Jaikumar submitted a report to the National Commissioner for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), which then wrote to the chief secretary and the police chief seeking action on the “SCPCR findings”.

In its September 9 letter, NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo said the SCPCR had found the school to be unregistered. It alleged the school authorities had been forcing poor girls to convert and that the girls had sought SCPCR help.

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