Puttur: St Philomena College here has over 50 years of history. Students who have come out of its portals have shone in various sectors like business, politics, religion and different professional fields, not only in India but also in different parts of the world.
Father Antony Patrao – later honoured with the title Monsignor in recognition of his contribution to the society and the field of education – had sown the seed decades ago. Over the years, it has yielded abundant fruit, offering education from primary to the post-graduate level.
In the 1950s and 1960s, St Victors, Mai de Deus and St Philomena schools were the only institutions around offering quality education. Thousands of people around Puttur and other parts of the district, hailing from all creeds and castes, have benefited from these institutions.
Unfortunately, at a meeting held here recently, a leader is said to have made a very unfair remark, going to the extent of saying that St Philomena College produced terrorists. Indeed it was not only highly misleading but also had the potential of creating ill-will and mistrust among different communities.
Thankfully indeed, the majority of the people chose to ignore the comment, treating it with the contempt it deserved, say many citizens here. The matter came to the fore on Monday, Feb 23 afternoon, when a huge protest rally was held in town, under the banner of Jago Nagarik Trust.
Speaking to the gathering near the office of the assistant commissioner, Mohammed Badagannur, a member of the Puttur taluk panchayat, referred to the subject and pointed out that a large number of people who currently adorned high places in the society and politics had studied in St Philomena insitutions.
If this group of institutions indeed produced terrorists, he wanted to know if Union law minister D V Sadananda Gowda, Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP Shobha Karandlaje, Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and state minister of urban development Vinayakumar Sorake, who had studied at St Philomena, could be considered terrorists.
Mohammed further said that the Constitution of India was the best among all. “It teaches us true governance and way of life. Unfortunately, the ruling class has been trying to bring about a religion-based governance system, which is a very dangerous development,” he opined.
He brought to the attention of the audience that in the last one-year period, 188 incidents of attacks on prayer-houses had taken place. The minorities were being made to live in an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. When the governments failed to provide protection, the question arises as to whom those living in fear should look up to.
Also speaking on behalf of citizens, advocate Kumbra Durgaprasad Rai stressed that in order to fight the forces of communalism, it was imperative that all peace-loving and right-thinking citizens join hands to build a healthy society.
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