A government school in Chhattisgarh’s Balrampur district has removed its principal after a booklet linked to rape convict Asaram was distributed among students and reportedly used as preparation material for a test, prompting complaints from parents and a departmental inquiry.
The incident was reported at Swami Atmanand School in Raghunathnagar. Parents approached authorities after students brought copies of the booklet, Sanskar Sarita, home. They questioned why material published by an organisation associated with Asaram had been given to children in a government-run school.
District education officer Narendra Nirapure ordered an inquiry after receiving the complaints. Shyam Kishore Jaiswal, the Wadrafnagar block education officer, visited the school and recorded statements from students and their parents as part of the investigation.
According to the statements recorded by the inquiry team, some students said copies of the booklet were distributed by principal Mahesh Prajapati following a visit by members of Asaram’s organisation. The students also reported that they had been instructed to prepare for a test based on the contents of the publication.
The education department has since relieved Prajapati of his post and temporarily attached him to the office of the deputy director of education. The administrative action has been taken while the inquiry continues and does not represent the final outcome of the investigation.
The case places the focus on how teaching and supplementary material enters government schools, who is authorised to approve it and what safeguards are applied before students receive it. In this instance, the department is examining both the distribution of the booklet and the reported instruction to use it for a class assessment.
The inquiry is also expected to establish who authorised the organisation’s visit and whether the principal acted independently or under any formal school or departmental direction. The education authorities have not yet announced the final findings or any further disciplinary action.
The next step is the completion of the education department’s inquiry into the source, approval and use of the booklet at the school.
