Jaipur : A planned visit by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) workers to a government primary school in Jaipur turned hostile after locals opposed their presence and forced them to leave. However, a confrontation broke out over the visit and the locals subsequently staged a protest outside the school. Co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka, however, rejected the suggestion that those opposing the visit were locals and accused the BJP of sending “goons” to disrupt the CJP’s efforts to inspect government schools.
Ranka, in a separate tweet, also alleged that children were being taught in a cowshed “among buffaloes” and claimed that attempts to raise the issue were being blocked through political pressure. In a similar allegation, CJP founder Abhijit Dipke accused BJP workers of targeting CJP volunteers and questioned how the Rajasthan Police could allow such an incident to take place. Commenting on the incident, a local resident said the CJP visit was as they believed the school was being targeted for demolition despite having 20-25 students enrolled.
The confrontation comes days after the Rajasthan’s BJP government introduced restrictions on visits by outsiders to government schools, requiring prior permission from school principals and written approval for photography and videography. The restrictions were issued after the CJP announced plans to inspect government schools that it claimed were suffering from poor infrastructure, teacher shortages and inadequate basic facilities.
The Rajasthan Education Department subsequently issued a circular citing the need to protect children’s safety, privacy, dignity and welfare. Under the new rules, outsiders cannot enter government school campuses without prior permission from the principal, except government officials visiting for authorised official work. The directions also bar visitors from entering classrooms and other areas where students are present unless accompanied by authorised school staff.
The government has said the restrictions are aimed at protecting children’s privacy and safety. The restrictions have also triggered criticism from Rajasthan Assembly Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully, who accused the BJP government of attempting to prevent scrutiny of government schools.
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