West Bengal: Jalpaiguri missionary school gets threat letters

The letters threatened school authorities with arson unless it is closed down.

Police pickets have come up at St Capitaneo Higher Secondary School for Girls in Nagrakata in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district after the school’s principal Sister Anice Jacob lodged a police complaint on March 22, stating that they have received a number of anonymous letters threatening arson.

It was learnt that Nagrakata police have lodged a case of illegal trespass and criminal intimidation against unknown persons. Inspector in Charge Anindya Bhattacharya said they are probing the case, but refused to divulge details.

Coming close on the heels of the Ranaghat robbery and rape of a 71-year-old nun, these threat letters have triggered panic among the Sisters and other staff. But they are trying to ascertain if the threats were serious or someone played a prank. Police, on their part, are taking no chances. Notably, in the Ranaghat incident too, the actual attack was preceded by anonymous threat calls.

St Capitaneo has about 1700 students on its roll with a residential section that houses about 192 students. It is a Hindi medium school in an area where Adivasis constitute over 80 per cent of the population. The area, close to Bhutan border, also has pockets of Nepali and Hindu settlements.

As per the police complaint, letters were found in the school’s residential block, largely out of bounds for outsiders. Students returning from a protest rally against the Ranaghat incident found them and brought them to the principal’s notice. The letters threatened school authorities with arson unless it is closed down. It also asked the Sisters to leave the area or face dire consequences. The church in the area will be burnt down, one of the letters reportedly warned.

The principal, Sister Anice Jacob, said 13 Sisters stay in the school and the hostel. She added that classes at the school were running normally. The school is run by Congregation of the Sisters of Charity that falls under the control of Archbishop of Kolkata. Archbishop of Kolkata Father Thomas D’Souza said that he was yet to be informed of the incident but the school was under the immediate control of the Diocese of Jalpaiguri. Jalpaiguri DM Pritha Sarkar said the matter was being investigated. SP A Rabindranath visited the school Tuesday and reviewed security arrangements.

Meanwhile, Herod Mullick, state working president of Bangiya Christiya Parishad, said in a statement: “In the backdrop of (the) Ranaghat situation, we are extremely anxious to be reported by our Jalpaiguri District Committee that unidentified people, through unsigned notes, have threatened the Nuns and girl boarders of St Capitaneo’s School and hostel at Nagrakata.” The statement, while thanking the local administration for deploying police pickets, has appealed for immediate probe and arrest of the culprits. “Like (the) Ranaghat incident, it does not appear to be an isolated incident but a part of anti-minority activity of the religious fanatics,” it has stated.

Source:: Indian Express