The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Rajasthan, has condemned the alleged attack on members of the Campaign for Justice in Primary Education (CJP) during their visit to Rampura urf Kanwarpura village in Jaipur district and demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible.
According to PUCL, a delegation of around 40 CJP members visited the village on August 21 to inspect the condition of the government primary school as part of the organisation’s “Fix the Schools Campaign.” The organisation alleges that the delegation was attacked by a mob after rumours were circulated that the activists had come to demolish the school.
PUCL said around eight people were injured in the incident, while vehicles and mobile phones were allegedly damaged. Sanjoo Verma reportedly suffered a fracture in her left hand and injuries to her right hand. Rekha Sharma allegedly sustained a shoulder injury and had her mobile phone snatched and damaged. Advocate Salman was reportedly chased towards the fields and assaulted, while Ashutosh Ranka allegedly suffered a serious injury to his neck.
PUCL has alleged that the violence was not spontaneous and that a crowd had been mobilised in advance following the circulation of rumours about the purpose of the CJP visit. The organisation has called for all those accused in the attack to be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with law.
Activists were Inspecting Dilapidated School
The CJP delegation had visited the village to document the condition of the government primary school, which PUCL says has remained in a severely dilapidated state.
According to the organisation, the roof of the original school building has been in poor condition for around 18 months and is reportedly considered unsafe. The school has consequently been shifted to a gaushala. PUCL said only two rooms there are being used for storing school materials and making mid-day meal arrangements, while children are reportedly studying in the open.
The organisation said students are exposed to cattle, flies, rain and extreme heat during classes. The number of enrolled children has reportedly fallen to around 25, with some parents choosing private schools because of the conditions at the government school.
PUCL said activists, including Ashutosh Ranka and Rekha Sharma, had raised concerns about the school's condition in 2025 and written to authorities seeking repairs. The organisation alleged that no effective repairs have been carried out despite the passage of a year.
PUCL Questions Police Response
PUCL has also raised questions about the response of the Shivdaspura police and senior officers.
According to the organisation, CJP activists informed Shivdaspura SHO Gautam Dotasara by telephone and WhatsApp approximately an hour before their arrival that there was a possibility of an attack. PUCL alleges that the SHO told the activists to handle the situation themselves and said he was occupied with the Assembly session.
The organisation further claimed that CJP members contacted the ACP and informed him about the potential danger, but that no effective preventive action was taken. Police allegedly arrived only after the violence had occurred.
PUCL has demanded an impartial inquiry into the conduct of the SHO and the concerned ACP and called for strict departmental action, including their immediate suspension, if responsibility for dereliction of duty is established.
Opposition to Restrictions on School Photography and Access
PUCL Rajasthan has also criticised an Education Department order issued on August 14, 2026, restricting outsiders' entry into government schools and imposing conditions on photography, videography, interviews, audio recording and live streaming involving students.
Under the order, according to PUCL, outsiders seeking entry to school premises must obtain prior written permission from the concerned District Education Officer or head of the department. The government has cited student privacy, school security and the prevention of political interference as reasons for the restrictions.
PUCL said that while children's safety and privacy must be protected, such measures should not prevent legitimate public scrutiny of the condition of government schools. It argued that civil society organisations, parents and social workers should be able to inspect schools and document infrastructure and educational conditions while respecting applicable safeguards concerning children.
Villagers Raise Concerns Over School Conditions
PUCL said villagers had also expressed concern about the deteriorating condition of the school and the rumours surrounding the CJP visit.
According to the organisation, villagers said economically better-off families could send their children to private schools, while poorer families remained dependent on the government school. PUCL said villagers also reported that the rumour that CJP activists had come to demolish the school contributed to the mobilisation of the crowd.
The organisation described the alleged attack as a serious law-and-order issue as well as an impediment to public accountability concerning government education facilities.
PUCL Rajasthan has called for:
- Immediate arrest and legal action against all those accused of attacking the CJP delegation.
- An impartial inquiry into the alleged failure of the Shivdaspura SHO and concerned ACP to take preventive action despite being alerted to the possibility of violence.
- Strict departmental action, including suspension, if the inquiry establishes dereliction of duty.
- Immediate repair and restoration of the Rampura urf Kanwarpura government primary school and provision of a safe learning environment for children.
- Measures to bring children who have dropped out because of the school's poor condition back into education.
- Withdrawal of the August 14 order restricting outsiders' access to schools and photography, videography and other forms of recording.
- Protection of independent social monitoring and civil-society inspection of government schools.
PUCL Rajasthan President Kavita Srivastava, President Anant Bhatnagar, and General Secretaries Pragya Joshi and Rajesh Chaudhary issued the statement.
Comments
Post a Comment
NOTE: Hateful, abusive comments won't be published. -- Editor