The Chhattisgarh education department has removed the principal of a government school in Balrampur district after booklets associated with rape convict Asaram were distributed among students, officials said. The incident came to light after some students took the booklets home and parents raised objections.
The incident occurred on October 26 at Swami Atmanand Government English Medium School of Excellence in Raghunathpur village. According to parents, booklets were distributed among approximately 25 to 30 middle-school students during a visit by members of an organisation associated with Asaram.
The matter came to light the following day when some students took the booklets home. Parents objected to the distribution and approached the education department, questioning why material associated with a convicted offender had been circulated among children at a government-run institution.
The booklets reportedly included titles such as Sanskar Sarita, Vrat Niyam and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. A student’s father alleged that some publications contained Asaram’s photographs and quotations or information about his followers.
According to a report by The Times of India, some students also told the inquiry team that the principal, Mahesh Prajapati, distributed copies of Sanskar Sarita following the visit by members of the organisation.
Parents further alleged that students had been asked to read the material and prepare for a test based on its contents. The education department is investigating this allegation.
Following the complaints, Balrampur District Education Officer Narendra Nirapure directed the Block Education Officer, Shyam Kishore Jaiswal, to investigate the incident and record statements from students and their parents.
Based on preliminary findings, Prajapati was removed from his position as principal and attached to the collector’s office, officials said.
The investigation is continuing to establish who authorised the distribution and whether students were instructed to study the booklets.
Defending himself, the principal reportedly told officials that he was unaware of the contents of the publications. He claimed that the visitors had misled him by saying they only wanted to distribute books and that he had permitted them to do so.
Asaram has been convicted in two separate rape cases. In April 2018, a special court in Jodhpur sentenced him to life imprisonment for raping a minor girl at his ashram in Rajasthan in 2013.
On May 27, 2026, the Rajasthan High Court upheld his conviction for rape and the life sentence, while setting aside certain other findings against him.
In a separate case, a Gandhinagar court in Gujarat also sentenced him to life imprisonment for raping a woman disciple in 2013.
The incident in Balrampur has raised questions about the scrutiny of external publications and the distribution of educational material to students in government-run schools. The education department’s ongoing inquiry is expected to establish the circumstances surrounding the distribution and the responsibility of those involved.
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