Ranchi: The Ranchi Diocese on Monday vehemently denied false reportage by a section of the broadcast media about a Catholic school being run on a land belonging to the government in a small village of Sarangloya in Lapung Block of Ranchi District.
After these reports appeared in the Press, Bishop Binay Kandulna, the Bishop of Khunti under whose ecclesiastical jurisdiction the village falls, accompanied by Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas SFX, the Auxiliary Bishop of Ranchi Archbishop visited the Roman Catholic Mission School, met with the people and ascertained the facts.
In a Press Meet today, Bishop Binay Kandulna Bishop of Khunti and Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas SFX, stated, “It has brought much sorrow and pain to us to learn that a certain section of the media is engaging itself in spreading lies, rumours and half truths about the Catholic Church. We are in particular saddened and hurt by a recent false story floated about the Roman Catholic Mission School in a small village of Sarangloya in Lapung Block of Ranchi District in this connection.”
In a joint press statement by Bishop Binay Kandulna Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas SFX and Bishop of Khunti Auxiliary Bishop of Ranchi, they felt that a local news channel had gone on an overdrive spreading fake news and creating hatred and suspicion against the Church and against Christians. “It is very clear that the reports of a Government school being used by the Church are false, malafide and are intended to sow hatred and division in society.
The Roman Catholic Mission School as it is called, was founded in 1936 by a few Catholics with the name of St. Joseph’s school and actually began functioning in a small church building. In 1962, some years after zamindari came to an end 24 Catholic families together bought 35 acres of land for themselves. It is on this land owned by these families that the present school building was built because the families wanted the Church to teach their children. Initially it was built with mud wall and tiles roof. It may be reminded that the families are the sole owners of the land and only they decide what they wish to have on their land. In the course of time they handed over this school under the care of Catholic priests.
In 2018, the villagers along with the Claretian Fathers decided that they needed a multipurpose hall where they could conduct community activities and meet together for prayer. Therefore, with the support of the priests, contributions and hard labour of the villagers who wanted a place to pray, a multipurpose hall was built. When the number of students in the school began increasing considerably and grew from 27 to 75 and then to 220, the multipurpose hall was utilized as classrooms for the children.
“We feel proud and satisfied that the parents of the surrounding area have great trust in the school and the priests running the school, and prefer to send their children to the Roman Catholic Mission School which today has 222 students from Class 1 to 5 on its rolls rather than to a nearby Government school which has only 17 students on its rolls from class 1 to 8,” the statement mentioned.
The release also listed out the following facts to counter the fake issues brought up by vested interests.
- The R.C. Mission School, Sarangloya is a privately owned minority school recognized by the Government (earlier Government of undivided Bihar and now by the Government of Jharkhand).
- It is totally founded and run by the Catholic Church and its people for the welfare of all communities without distinction of caste, creed or religion. This is not a Government school as claimed by certain sections of the press.
- The school has seven teachers today. As a minority school aided by the Government, it has only two approved posts. The Catholic Church willingly pays for all the other teachers and staff members.
- For the last seven years the approved posts are vacant, as the Government has not approved appointments of any new teachers in Jharkhand to minority schools aided by the Government. The Catholic Church has thus been bearing all the costs of running the school.
- The school continues to be part of the midday meal scheme of the Government but receives no other aid.
- The multipurpose hall in which classes are held on weekdays and where prayer will be held on Sundays is built on land belonging to the Catholics and is fully in their possession.
“We regret that this beautiful village where people have lived together for years in harmony and peace is now being subjected to the communal virus being spread through fake reports manufactured by a section of the Press. It is a shame that journalists who reported a non-existent issue and did not bother to contact the Church authorities either to clarify or report their side of the story,” the statement added.
The bishops also expressed their appreciation to some members of the print media who were kind enough to verify the story on the ground and could report what exactly is the truth.
The bishops urged the news channels to refrain from reporting fake news specially that which divides people and creates hatred. “We also reserve our right to legal remedies if the videos being circulated are not withdrawn,” the statement said.
They drew the attention of the broadcast journalists on what the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Journalism should never be prostituted for selfish ends or for the sake of merely earning a livelihood or, worse still, for amassing money.”