New Delhi, India — Tension flared outside a prominent Christian-run school in Sant Nagar on Friday as hundreds of protesters gathered, demanding its immediate closure amid serious allegations of forced religious conversions targeting Hindu students.
Chanting slogans and holding placards, the crowd — largely comprising local residents, parents, and members of Hindu organisations — accused teachers at the school of compelling children to recite Bible verses, utter phrases like “Amen” and “Hallelujah,” and face punishment for wearing traditional markers such as tilak or sacred threads. Some protesters went further, claiming students were beaten or subjected to physical drills for resisting.
Videos that surfaced on social media over the weekend have fuelled the outrage. In the clips, several young students — some appearing no older than 10 or 12 — can be heard describing incidents where they were allegedly struck with sticks or made to do punishing exercises like squats for refusing to participate in Christian prayers or activities. The children, speaking in hushed tones, recounted being told to remove religious symbols before entering classrooms.
“The school is forcing our kids to abandon their faith,” one protester, a parent who identified himself only as Rajesh, told reporters at the scene. “This isn’t education — it’s conversion by coercion. We want the government to step in and shut it down.”
The demonstrators directed appeals to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and other officials, urging an independent probe into the complaints. Banners called for swift action from the education department and child rights authorities.
As a minority institution, the school operates under constitutional protections that allow religious and linguistic minorities to establish and administer educational bodies, including the right to impart religious instruction. However, Indian law strictly prohibits forced conversions, especially involving minors, with provisions under the anti-conversion statutes in several states and broader protections in the Indian Penal Code.
School authorities have not yet responded publicly to the allegations. Attempts to reach the principal or management yielded no comment, and the gates remained closed during the protest, with police deployed to maintain order but no arrests reported.
No formal complaint has been lodged with the police so far, according to sources, and neither the Delhi government nor the chief minister’s office has issued a statement. Child rights activists have mixed views: some caution against hasty action without evidence, while others stress the need for a thorough investigation to protect vulnerable students.
The episode has reignited broader debates over minority institutions and religious freedom in education, with social media amplifying the videos and drawing sharp reactions from both sides. For now, the school remains at the centre of a growing storm, as parents and protesters vow to continue their agitation until authorities intervene.
