Police complaint against Subramanian Swamy for anti-Church comments

Panaji, July 18: A police complaint was filed Friday accusing BJP leader Subramanian Swamy of "attempting to create and promote enmity against the Catholic Church" by posting on his Facebook page that the Church in Goa does not love HIV positive children.

The complaint was filed by Congress spokesperson Durgadas Kamat.

"The said person has put up a post on his page June 17, 2014, and tried to give a communal and political twist to a very sensitive issue by trying to portray the Church in Goa as not sensitive towards HIV+ve orphans," Kamat said in his complaint.

The conflict between the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) and the management of the Fatima High School in Rivona village, located 55 km south of Panaji, over admissions to 13 HIV+ve children and 23 suspected HIV+ve children has grabbed the attention of the state.

While the Church-run school under pressure from the PTA had transferred 13 HIV+ve students to another school last month, the school authorities have now stood behind 23 other students, whom the parents want dropped from school claiming they too are HIV infected.

The Church has claimed that the 23 students are not HIV+ve. Both the 13 HIV+ve students and the 23 non-HIV students live in a Church-run orphanage also located in Rivona village.

A poster allegedly uploaded on Swamy's page, which was submitted as evidence by the Congress to the police, says: "In Goa, the Church loves everyone except HIV+ve kids." It also says: "Church-run school in Goa expels 13 HIV+ve orphans."

While accusing Swamy of allegedly giving the issue a communal twist, the Congress has defended the Church.

"We would like to bring to your notice that the orphanages where these kids are being taken care of are also run by the Church," the complaint says.

A police spokesperson confirmed receipt of the complaint and said that preliminary investigation has started.

"An FIR has not been registered yet. We will commence a preliminary investigation into the complaint soon," the official said.

IANS