Beed police have registered a case against the headmaster of Champawati Primary School for allegedly manipulating student records on the government’s Unified District Information System for Education (U-DISE) portal by adding three students whose names did not appear in the school’s original admission register. The alleged manipulation was suspected to have been aimed at protecting teachers’ posts, police said on Saturday.
The case was registered at Shivajinagar police station on October 15 against Sarang Joshi, 35, following an inquiry by education department officials. He has been booked under Sections 318(4), 336(3), 340(2) and 335 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
According to a complaint filed by Pranita Gangakhedkar, 56, block education officer at the Beed panchayat samiti, an inquiry committee comprising her and three cluster heads visited the school on October 1 to verify its student strength.
The school’s attendance register showed 973 students enrolled in Classes I to IV, but only 849 students were present during the inspection. When asked to explain the discrepancy and provide details of the U-DISE data, Joshi allegedly gave evasive replies, the complaint stated.
The matter came under further scrutiny following allegations that teachers were procuring students from other states to protect their jobs.
During a follow-up inspection on October 9, the committee found that three students whose names appeared in the records under scrutiny were absent from the school’s original general admission and withdrawal register.
{{/usCountry}}During a follow-up inspection on October 9, the committee found that three students whose names appeared in the records under scrutiny were absent from the school’s original general admission and withdrawal register.
{{/usCountry}}The inquiry allegedly revealed that Joshi had added the three names to the portal on September 28 and moved them to the portal’s drop box on October 7.
Zilla parishad education officer Jayashree Chavan said a detailed inquiry was underway and an initial report had been submitted. Joshi has been suspended, she said.
Shivajinagar police station senior inspector Sheetalkumar Ballal said an FIR had been registered based on the complaint and further investigation was underway.