‘Govt schools produce Maoists’

Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar courted controversy by claiming that government schools were breeding grounds of Maoism.

Educationists and ministers on Wednesday condemned the comments as ‘unfortunate and illogical. Meanwhile, three Jaipur lawyers moved a local city court against the Art of Living guru.
Advocates Surendra Dhaka, Jaiprakash and Manu Pancholi filed a defamation suit before a judicial magistrate court of Sanganer (Jaipur) on Wednesday.

The petition claims the spiritual guru’s statement has undermined the image of the entire education system of the country, which often works as a model for other countries. A large part of the alumni of government schools are now serving important assignments and posts in the country, doing proud their alma maters.

While statingthat they too have been students at government schools, the petitioners said the remarks have tarnished their image also.

The spiritual guru has been charged under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration), 499 and 500 (defamation) of Indian Penal Code.The court will take up the case for hearing on Thursday.

Addressing a function at a school near Jaipur on Tuesday, Ravishankar had said that government should privatise education and close state-run schools as they breed Maoists. “I feel that all schools and colleges should be privatised and handed over to some other organisation. Such things are not in the boys of private schools and they move ahead with an ideal and teachers are responsible for it,” he had added.

He however backtracked , saying his statements did not pertain to all government schools, but merely focused on government schools in Maoist areas. He further said that those government schools which were being run properly shall be privatised.
Meanwhile, locals including students of government school in Jaipur, burnt an effigy of Ravishankar in front of the school and demanded an apology from him.