Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leader Abhijeet Dipke on Thursday alleged that students whose names were not on the official rolls were found sitting in classrooms during his visit to a Zilla Parishad primary school in Ausa, Latur district, while liquor bottles were discovered on the school premises. Dipke visited the government school, located more than 500 km from Mumbai, as part of his party's ongoing ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign, which seeks to highlight deficiencies in government-run schools and push authorities to improve basic infrastructure.
Bogus students alleged
Dipke claimed that some children present in classrooms during his inspection were not enrolled at the school. He said he questioned a teacher who was holding additional charge in the absence of the headmaster about their presence.
According to Dipke, the teacher told him that he did not know who had brought the children to the school.
The CJP leader alleged that the presence of students who were not on the rolls raised questions about whether attempts had been made to present a misleading picture of attendance during his visit.
There was no immediate independent confirmation of the allegation or response from the local education authorities.
Liquor bottles found on premises
Dipke also claimed that liquor bottles were found within the school compound and alleged that photographs taken during the inspection indicated that the premises were being used for activities unrelated to education.
He said the school had been cleaned only a day before his visit, while its toilets had allegedly been cleaned shortly before he arrived.
Despite the cleaning, Dipke claimed that the school lacked adequate drinking water facilities. He also pointed to walls damaged by rainwater as evidence of deteriorating infrastructure.
The CJP leader demanded accountability from officials responsible for supervising government schools in the area.
Officials face suspension demand
Dipke demanded that block education officers responsible for the condition of schools in the region be suspended within eight days. He alleged that officials were frequently unavailable, with official tours cited as the reason for their absence.
He argued that supervisory authorities should be held responsible when government schools lack basic facilities or suffer from prolonged neglect.
The visit forms part of the CJP's wider campaign focusing on the physical condition and functioning of government schools. Through the initiative, party representatives have been visiting institutions and highlighting shortcomings in infrastructure and administration.
Dipke said inadequate facilities in government schools ultimately deepen inequalities between children attending public institutions and those with access to better-resourced schools.
“The government has failed to provide adequate facilities in government schools, and students are not getting equal opportunities. Until every child gets equal opportunity, we cannot claim that the country is truly developing,” he said.
The allegations at the Ausa school have now placed attention on local education authorities, particularly over the claims concerning unenrolled students, the condition of the premises and the availability of essential facilities.