Ambikapur (Chhattisgarh): Authorities have dismissed the head of a government school in Chhattisgarh’s Balrampur district after booklets associated with Asaram, a self-proclaimed spiritual leader convicted of rape, were handed out to students, officials said on Thursday
Parents claimed the booklets were given to middle school students at the Swami Atmanand Government English Medium School of Excellence in Raghunathpur village on October 26.
Balrampur District Education Officer Narendra Nirapure told PTI that the Block Education Officer had been tasked with investigating the incident and submitting a report.
Based on preliminary findings, the school removed Principal Mahesh Prajapati, he said, adding that further investigation is underway.
According to parents, they learnt about the booklets after their children brought them home.
They expressed displeasure and lodged a complaint with the education department.
Booklets titled 'Sanskar Sarita', 'Vrat Niyam' and 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', among others, were distributed when followers of Asaram visited the school in the presence of the principal, a student's father alleged.
"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 was sentenced to life imprisonment in a 2013 rape case by a court in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
He is also serving a life sentence in another case of raping a minor girl at his ashram in Rajasthan's Jodhpur in 2013.
(With inputs from PTI)
