A viral video from Maharajganj, Uttar Pradesh, recently caught hearts on social media, as children cried and pleaded outside a closed primary school. They were found holding on to the school gate, unwilling to attend elsewhere for studies. The scene looked like a protest against the alleged shutdown of their school because of a government policy of mergers.
However, an official investigation has revealed that the entire incident was fake.
The school in question, located in Rudrapur Bhalui village under the Partawal block, was not on the list of institutions to be merged. According to the media reports, the District Magistrate Santosh Kumar Sharma confirmed that normal teaching activities are ongoing and that no official order to shut or shift the school was ever issued.
As per the investigation, the school principal, Kusumlata Pandey, arranged the drama. She allegedly told children to pretend the school had been closed and asked their parents to join the emotional spectacle. Officials say the intention was to build pressure and attract sympathy from the public by misleading them into believing that the school was being closed down under the policy aimed at schools with fewer than 50 students.
As a result of what she did, the principal has been suspended. The Block Education Officer has also been disciplined for not making the school open on time that day.
Information Officer Prabhakar Mani Tripathi condemned the misuse of government posts for spreading false information. He noted that public servants are obligated to execute the schemes of the government in good faith, not misleading them for personal motives. The authorities are now also investigating the role of parents in the incident, and action will be initiated against all those found guilty of taking part in the staged protest, according to the Dainik Bhaskar report.
