India News | Textbooks Meant for Free Distribution in Jharkhand's Chakulia Block Sold as Scrap, Probe Ordered
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. A district-level inquiry committee has been formed after textbooks meant for free distribution among students in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district were allegedly stolen and sold to a scrap dealer recently, an official statement here on Tuesday said.
Jamshedpur, Jun 24 (PTI) A district-level inquiry committee has been formed after textbooks meant for free distribution among students in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district were allegedly stolen and sold to a scrap dealer recently, an official statement here on Tuesday said.
The committee has been asked to submit its findings within 48 hours, officials said, adding the incident took place at Chakulia block.
Taking cognisance of the matter, the administration has lodged an FIR at Chakulia police station in Ghatsila sub-division.
Bapi Das, a night guard at the Block Resource Centre where the books were kept, has been dismissed from service and taken into police custody for interrogation, the statement said.
The district administration has sealed all buildings and schools, where textbooks meant for free distribution among students were stored, to avoid further tampering or theft.
Deputy Commissioner Karn Satyarthi has set a 24-hour deadline for the Block Education Extension Officer to come up with a clarification.
Senior officials across the district have been instructed to review the existing book distribution mechanism in their respective blocks and submit reports to the administration.
Asked about the number of books missing and the classes for which they were intended, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Ghatsila) Sunil Chandra said, "The District Education Officer (DEO) is currently investigating the matter."
However, attempts to contact the DEO for comment were unsuccessful.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)