On Wednesday, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) party workers staged a protest in Mumbai’s Vashi area after a private school named St Lawrence School suspended around 6 students of class 10 for chanting Jai Shri Ram near the washroom area of the school premises. The MNS members met the school principal Saira Kennedy on June 14 and asked her to immediately call those students to the school and tender a written apology.
According to the reports, the incident is said to have happened on Monday, June 12. Around 10-12 students studying in class 10 had gathered in the area near the washroom and chanted ‘Jai Shree Ram’. One of the school teachers took cognizance of the event and informed the principal after which around 6 students were expelled by the school.
MNS leader Sandesh Dongre condemned the incident and said, “The principal did give us an apology letter and has agreed to take back the students.” Reportedly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sakal Hindu Samaj also said that they would protest if the students are not called back againt by the school.
Responding to the situation, Principal Kennedy said the students, during recess time, were screaming while rushing from the corridor to the washroom. She said that the students were making noise and she didn’r hear any slogan, and denied that the students have been suspended. “I heard it and went to the floor to check. The students were screaming in a very unusual manner, which was not normal. It is a matter of concern because of indiscipline. Hence, we took disciplinary action. We asked the six students to bring their parents to the school within three days. The parents of four of them came on Tuesday. We met them and asked them to find out why the children behaved in such a manner and told them that such behavior was unacceptable,” she said.
Further, refusing that the students were suspended, the principal added, “I never once mentioned the word rusticate or suspend. Our intention is not to create any problem for the children. They are our Lawrence children. We do not have the right to rusticate. The children are attending class and that’s what is important.”
The principal later is said to have issued a letter expressing regret if any ‘misunderstanding’ had hurt anyone’s religious sentiments.