A government school principal in Balrampur, Chhattisgarh, was removed after booklets associated with rape convict Asaram were distributed among students.
Parents complained after their children brought home the booklets, prompting an inquiry by the education department.
Asaram is serving life sentences in two separate rape cases involving a woman in Gujarat and a minor girl in Rajasthan.
Chhattisgarh School Principal Removed After Rape Convict Asaram’s Booklets Distributed Among Students
Parents in Balrampur complained after students brought home booklets reportedly distributed by Asaram’s followers at a government school.
Summary
The principal of a government school in Chhattisgarh’s Balrampur district has been removed after booklets associated with rape convict Asaram were distributed among students, officials said on Thursday.
The booklets were distributed to middle school students at the Swami Atmanand Government English Medium School of Excellence in Raghunathpur village on October 26, parents alleged. Parents learnt about the booklets after their children brought them home, expressed displeasure and lodged a complaint with the education department.
Balrampur District Education Officer Narendra Nirapure told PTI that the Block Education Officer had been instructed to investigate the matter and submit a report. Principal Mahesh Prajapati was removed based on the preliminary findings, Nirapure said, adding that further investigation was underway.
According to PTI, the materials included booklets titled Sanskar Sarita, Vrat Niyam and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, among others. A student’s father alleged that Asaram’s followers distributed the booklets during a visit to the school, in the presence of the principal.
“These materials promote Asaram or provide information about his followers. No material associated with him should be distributed, as he is in jail for serious offences and his ashrams have been seized by the government,” he told reporters.
“Despite this, books related to him were distributed among students. We oppose this and demand strict action against the principal,” he added.
Asaram, a self-styled godman, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in a 2013 rape case. He is also serving a life sentence in another case involving the rape of a minor girl at his ashram in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in 2013.
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