Dispur, A right-wing Hindu group has issued a stark ultimatum to leading Christian educational institutions across Assam, a state governed by the BJP, demanding the removal of churches, religious symbols, and costumes from their campuses. This move underscores the escalating tensions between religious communities in the region.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the threat was articulated through posters distributed by the Sanmilita Sanatan Samaj. These posters were conspicuously placed at several Christian educational centers, instructing them to eradicate churches, along with any religious symbols and statues, from their school premises. The message conveyed in these posters was clear: “This is the final warning to stop using the school as a religious institution…stop anti-Bharat and unconstitutional activities or else…”. Furthermore, the posters admonished Christian missionary educational institutions for disregarding the proposed New Education Policy by the Narendra Modi government and demanded respect for the Indian Parliament.

The controversy first came to light on February 18 when the authorities of Carmel School in Jorhat found one such poster on its boundary wall. The school’s principal, Sister Rose Fatima, lodged a complaint with the local police, asserting the school’s commitment to fostering an environment of peace, respect, and tolerance towards all religions. Subsequently, similar posters emerged at other prestigious institutions like the Don Bosco Boys School and Saint Mary’s School in Guwahati, as well as Christian schools in Barpeta, Dibrugarh, and Sivasagar towns. This poster campaign initiated by the Guwahati-based outfit followed their February 7 directive to Christian missionary-run schools to remove all religious symbols and statues within 15 days, mirroring a similar mandate by another group, Kutumba Suraksha Parishad.