Chhattisgarh govt school principal removed after Asaram booklets distributed to students

The principal of a government school in Chhattisgarh's Balrampur district has been removed after booklets related to rape convict Asaram, a self-styled godman, were distributed among students, officials said on Thursday.

The booklets were given to middle school students at the Swami Atmanand Government English Medium School of Excellence in Raghunathpur village on October 26, parents claimed.

After the matter came to light, the Block Education Officer was directed to conduct an inquiry and submit a report, Balrampur District Education Officer Narendra Nirapure told PTI.

Based on preliminary findings, Principal Mahesh Prajapati has been removed from the school, 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.

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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.