Don Bosco school Father and 12 others injured in mob attack

Vadodara, Dec 20 (UNI) Father Damien Sladen and 12 other staff and students of the Kawant-based Don Bosco school were injured when a mob of about 40 tribals attacked them at Bhediya village.

While four of the injured, including the Father, were rushed to the SSG hospital in Vadodara today, nine other students of the school were admitted to the Kawant hospital.

According to sources close to the Father, though the attack took place yesterday evening and two of their vehicles were damaged by the mob, Kawant taluka police were yet to register a FIR.

Sources said the father along with 30 of his school children had gone to the village, about 15 km away from Kawant, on the invitation of the local Sarpanch to stage a play on environment awareness.

The trouble started when two youths of the village wanted to stop the programme, alleging that they were supporters of the Congress party.

Advocate Zavier Manjoora, director of the Rajpipla Social Service Society, which has come forward to provide legal aid to the victims, said the father and the students, who were returning to Kawant in three vehicles after the programme was over, were stopped on their way by a 40-odd mob, armed with lathis.

The mob dragged Father Damien and Brother Rakesh out of their jeep and mercilessly beat them up with lathis. The mob, which took away the father's laptop, also attacked the students returning in a pick up van and misbehaved with Sister Manjula, Manjoora alleged.

The injured were rushed to the Kawant hospital. But four of them were later shifted to SSG hospital in Vadodara as they had sustained fractures, he added.

When contacted, Vadodara district deputy superintendent of police V J Katara, however, said he had no information about the incident.

UNI