It is the practice at the Convent of Jesus and Mary High School at Ranaghat, in West Bengal’s Nadia district, to bless every child appearing for the board examinations.
On Monday, despite the horrific rape of a septuagenarian nun during a robbery attempt at the school two days ago, that practice did not change.
During the day, sisters told the students appearing for ICSE (class X) and ISC (Class XII) examinations to put the unfortunate incident behind them. “This is a very important examination. Do not think about what happened in the school. Concentrate on the exams,’ the sisters told us before we started writing our papers,” said Soham Uddinali, a class X student.
ADVERTISEMENT
Though 48 hours have passed since the incident, there is anger and disbelief among the parents, students and the nuns here. Hundreds of people, including students, gathered in front of the school to voice their protest. Students in school uniform held up posters asking questions like “where is security for women in Bengal?” The condition of the rape survivor was stable, doctors said. “She is cooperating with the treatment,” said Payal Mullick Laha, additional superintendent of the Ranaghat Subdivisional hospital. “She is not angry with the offenders. She told us God would forgive them.”