TAKING SERIOUS note of instances where ‘PDA Pathshalas’ are reportedly being conducted inside or in the vicinity of government primary schools that have been paired under the state’s restructuring policy, the Department of Primary Education has issued strict directives to all Basic Shiksha Adhikaris (BSAs) across Uttar Pradesh.
In the last week, three FIRs have been filed in such cases, with one naming Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA R K Verma.
The accused have been booked on several charges, including criminal trespass, unlawful assembly and wrongful confinement. Police also invoked Damage to public property Act.
On Friday in Pratapgarh, an FIR was registered at Fattanpur police station against MLA R K Verma and others for allegedly breaking the lock of the Primary School, Narayanpur Kala, and entering the premises without official permission. They are accused of organising a programme by placing political posters and banners, which allegedly led to the “politicisation of the school environment” and had a negative impact on the students.
Authorities claimed that the incident created a “politically charged atmosphere” within the school and “attempted to disrupt social harmony” in the area. The Primary School, Narayanpur Kala, had already been officially paired with Upper Primary School Narayanpur, and both staff and students had been relocated accordingly. Station House Officer, Fattanpur police station, Rajendra Tripathi, said the lock of the primary school was broken.
Verma is MLA from the Raniganj seat in Pratapgarh.
Another FIR was registered on July 31 against SP leader Rachna Singh Gautam for allegedly organising a PDA Pathshala without permission outside the premises of the Primary School in Shahampur Garhi village on a Sunday. She was also accused of spreading rumours about the school being closed and conducting political activities near the campus. A complaint in this regard was filed by Block Education Officer Ravi Kumar Singh, who alleged that Gautam attempted to tarnish the image of the education department on social media by circulating misleading information, said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Kanpur, Kapil Dev Singh in a statement. It was also mentioned that Shahampur Garhi Primary School was not among the schools marked for pairing. In a social media post, Gautam was purportedly seen in a video claiming that the FIR against her was politically motivated.
The third FIR was registered on July 30 in Bhadohi against Anjani Saroj and others for allegedly conducting a PDA Pathshala inside and outside the premises of Primary School, Sikandra village, which has been paired under the state government’s policy.
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According to the police, the complaint alleges that Anjani Saroj and her associates lured students by distributing pencils, erasers, toffees, and other items. They reportedly handed the children banners and posters from another location and brought them to the Sikandra school to organise the PDA Pathshala. The FIR was filed by the school’s headmaster at Chauri police station following a preliminary inquiry. “We are currently reviewing video footage to identify other persons involved in the case,” said Ramesh Kumar, Station House Officer, Chauri police station.
The Department of Primary Education has instructed them to carry out regular monitoring and inspections of all paired schools, and if any unauthorized or unrecognized educational activities are found taking place on these premises, immediate and appropriate action must be taken. This includes registering an FIR against those responsible, as per the legal provisions, to prevent the misuse of school infrastructure and ensure compliance with government orders.
The SP’s launch of ‘PDA Pathshalas’ — in protest against the state government’s move to pair primary schools — has stirred controversy after videos purportedly of these classes went viral on social media, prompting the BJP to condemn the initiative as an attempt to “politically brainwash” children.
Reacting sharply, state BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary in a statement, strongly condemned the lesson being reportedly taught at Samajwadi Party’s PDA pathshala and termed it a conspiracy to inject political poison into the innocent minds of children.
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He described it as “not education, but Samajwadi brainwashing.” He asserted that children’s education will not be allowed to become a political laboratory and vowed to fight against this distorted mindset on every platform.
On the other hand, the SP has accused the BJP of purposely trying to deprive PDA communities and poor children from getting an education.
They said that Samajwadi workers will not let the BJP’s anti-education plans succeed. According to the party, the PDA Pathshala started across the state has received strong support from both students and parents. They claimed that the BJP government’s real face has been exposed — it is trying to block education while also targeting Samajwadi workers running the PDA Pathshalas by harassing them.
Around 1.32 lakh primary schools, with nearly 1.48 crore students, are operating across the state. Under the state government’s school pairing policy, a total of 10,784 schools are being identified to be paired.
