Chandigarh, Jan 17 (IANS)
Hundreds of people from various communities Sunday gathered at the Catholic church here in Sector 19 to take part in a prayer meeting organised to express solidarity with S. Sebestina, principal of Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School.
Sebestina was held guilty, in a magisterial probe, of being unfair in expelling teenaged molestation victim Ruchika Girhotra for fee default in September 1990, one month after she was molested by former Haryana director general of police S.P.S. Rathore.
'We do not want to criticise anybody as we have gathered here to pray for those people who are continuously doing wrong things. We did not invite anybody but still huge number of people from various religions has gathered here to show their support for sister Sebestina,' father Thomas Anchanickal, vicar-general of Chandigarh-Shimla diocese and spokesperson of the school, told IANS.
'We have full support of Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) and we do not require proving our innocence before anyone. Right now I do not want to comment anything on this case.'
Sebestina had also returned the state award that was given to her in 2005 for her meritorious contribution to city education, after she was held guilty. She was the principal of the school in 1990 also.
Chandigarh Catholic Association (CCA) has also started a signature campaign Sunday to garner support for Sebestina and this leading all girls school of Chandigarh.
'The response is overwhelming, today (Sunday) only we have received over 2,500 signatures during the prayer meeting. We will run this campaign for another one week. We will stand beside the school and its principal all through our life,' Anchanickal, coordinator of CCA, told IANS.
A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court in Chandigarh had Dec 21 held Rathore guilty of molesting 14-year-old Ruchika in Panchkula town Aug 12, 1990 and sentenced him to a six-month prison term. Rathore was immediately granted bail.
The budding tennis player had committed suicide in 1993.
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