Convent School principal chops off Hindu student’s tuft of hair: FIR

Mumbai: The principal of a convent school here today allegedly chopped off a Brahmin student’s tuft of hair, after which the police filed an FIR against him charging him with hurting religious sentiments.

Frank Fernandes, principal of St Jude’s High School in suburban Andheri, has been charged with hurting the religious sentiments of a community in the FIR filed by the police following a complaint from the mother of the student Pravesh Dubey.

“The principal had asked Pravesh, a Brahmin, several times to get his tuft of hair cut as the school rules do not allow such things,” said S R Dhanedhar, Senior Inspector of Sakinaka police station.

“We are gathering evidence against the principal before arresting him,” he said.

According to the police, the tuft of hair of the 14-year-old eighth class student was cut with a pair of scissors by Fernandes in his cabin.

“When the boy went to his cabin for some work today, the principal seeing the tuft got agitated. He took a pair of scissors and chopped it off,” Dhanedhar said.

Learning about the incident, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal activists protested near the police station demanding action against the principal.

Subsequently, the principal was booked under sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings or beliefs) and 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Indian Penal Code.

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