Kanpur: A controversy has erupted after Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav’s birthday was celebrated at a govt primary school in Parmat, Kanpur, where SP MLA Amitabh Bajpayi cut a cake on the campus in the presence of students. Following the incident, the school headmaster was suspended and the basic education department launched an inquiry into the alleged use of a government school for a political event.According to sources, Bajpayi reached the school without prior notice on July 1. He allegedly put up a Samajwadi Party banner, cut a birthday cake and distributed dresses among the schoolchildren. The event sparked controversy after it acquired a political dimension. Following complaints by BJP functionaries, officials of the education department initiated an inquiry.Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) Hariom Singh suspended headmaster Naveen Kumar Tripathi and attached him to the Khand Shiksha Karyalaya. The BSA said the action was taken based on a preliminary inquiry, while a committee has been constituted to conduct a detailed investigation.In his written explanation, Tripathi said that BJP MP Ramesh Awasthi had earlier proposed a dress distribution programme at the school, but it was postponed to July 6 due to the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) examination.Awasthi denied any connection with the event, saying he had only discussed conducting measurements for students’ uniforms at the school and that the dresses were to be distributed later in a single programme.The headmaster maintained that there was no irregularity or wrongful intent behind the programme.Bajpayi defended the event, saying, “We have always celebrated moments of happiness with children in schools. There is nothing wrong in this.”
