Sri Rama Sene protest: Mangaluru school decides to suspend Arabic, Urdu classes

Mangaluru: The management of St Thomas Aided Higher Primary School at Padu Bandanthila near here on Saturday decided to suspend classes teaching Arabic and Urdu languages following a protest by Sri Rama Sene activists on July 30.

About 50 activists of Sri Rama Sene had barged into the school after locals complained about students being taught Arabic and Urdu "forcibly".

They had questioned the school authorities about "forcibly" teaching these languages to students of sixth and seventh standards between 9.15 am and 10 am every Saturday.

The attack had forced the headmaster to assure them that the classes would be discontinued immediately.

The management held a meeting with the parents and villagers today and decided not to continue the classes, school sources said.

The Sri Rama Sene activists had threatened to hold protests if the school continued the classes.

Sixteen Rama Sene activists have been arrested so far in connection with the "raid" on the charge of trespassing into the St Thomas Aided Higher Primary School.

Yesterday, Sri Rama Sene's Karnataka unit president Mahesh Kumar had alleged that Arabic was forcibly taught in the institution and there was no government order for the same.

He had also claimed that the Sene took action after gathering credible information on the matter and that they strongly condemned "illegal" teaching of a language as it would pave the way for misleading the children.