'P*rn Clip', Played During Maharajganj Education Dept’s e-Chaupal Session; Video

Maharajganj: An online public meeting of the education department, chaired by the Maharajganj district magistrate, took an ugly turn on August 7 when a pornographic video was played mid-session, forcing officials to abruptly exit. During the same meeting, another participant made offensive comments.

The session, part of an e-Chaupal initiative, was being held through an online portal to allow members of the public to raise school-related issues directly with District Magistrate Santosh Kumar Sharma. Senior officials, including the basic education officer, block education officers, headmasters, government teachers, and local residents, were in attendance.

The trouble began when a participant logged in under the name “Jason Junior” and shared his screen, streaming a pornographic clip. As the video played, several officials exited the meeting to prevent further disruption. Another person, known only as "Arjun," is accused of making derogatory comments shortly after.

According to TOI, Basic Education Officer Riddhi Pandey instructed Block Education Officer (Farenda) Sudama Prasad to lodge a complaint. An FIR was filed at the Kotwali police station on August 9 against two unnamed individuals. Kotwali SHO Satyendra Rai said the case has been filed under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including charges for obstructing a public servant, intentional insult, and under Section 67A of the IT Act for transmitting sexually explicit content online, according to Times of India report.

Satyendra Rai, the SHO of Sadar Kotwali, claims that the cyber police are supporting the probe. "The accused are being identified through technical means and action will be taken soon," he told PTI.

The district administration has described the episode as a serious breach of decorum and a cybercrime. Instructions have been issued to strengthen security measures for future online meetings to prevent a repeat of such incidents.

(Inputs from PTI)