UP: Two jailed, FIRs filed against activists over videos highlighting poor school conditions

Two people have been sent to jail in Uttar Pradesh after recording and sharing a video highlighting alleged poor conditions at a government school in Meerut, while FIRs have also been registered against members of the Justice Morcha and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over similar allegations of unauthorised entry and recording at government schools.

The incidents have emerged amid a growing campaign by youth groups and political organisations to highlight alleged deficiencies in government schools across the state.

In Meerut, advocate Sanyam Panchal, son of Congress leader Jitendra Panchal, and his friend Ayan Mirza recorded a government school in Sardhana, located around 300 metres from the SDM office.

The video showed government textbooks allegedly lying discarded in a room, with some of the books reportedly damaged and deteriorating. The video also showed a non-functional ceiling fan, damp walls, a hand pump and an open drain running through the school campus.

Panchal and Mirza also claimed that the office of the block education officer was located on the same campus despite the alleged condition of the books and facilities.

Following the video's circulation, Sardhana's Basic Shiksha Adhikari, Sudarshan Lal, submitted a complaint at the local police station against the two men, alleging that they had created a misleading video.

After questioning, the two were booked under provisions relating to breach of peace and produced before an SDM court, which sent them to jail.

Justice Morcha member booked

In another case, an FIR has been registered against Justice Morcha member Rajat Singh in Deoria following a complaint by the block education officer of Gauri Bazar.

Singh, who has been travelling across the state as part of the organisation's campaign on education and employment, had recorded and shared videos highlighting alleged deficiencies at four government schools.

One of the videos, recorded on August 16 at a school in Damarbhiswa village, allegedly showed shortcomings on the campus. Singh also claimed that a panchayat building was located within the school premises and that a temple was being constructed there.

An FIR was registered against him nearly a week later under sections 329(4) and 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to alleged unauthorised entry and dissemination of misleading information.

Singh defended the videos and said he would continue raising questions about the condition of government institutions.

Justice Morcha members later staged a protest outside the Deoria district magistrate's office, demanding improvements in government schools and opposing the FIR.

The organisation accused the state government of attempting to suppress young people who highlight deficiencies in public institutions.

AAP workers face FIRs

AAP workers have also faced police action in separate cases.

In Noida, an FIR has been registered against AAP youth wing state president Pankaj Awana after a teacher at a government school in Hoshiarpur, Sector 51, alleged that he entered the premises without permission and recorded photographs and videos of the school's facilities.

According to the complaint, Awana continued recording despite being asked to stop. The teacher also alleged that he was threatened during the incident.

Separate cases have reportedly been registered in Hardoi against Firoz Siddiqui, district president of AAP's student wing ASAP, and in Siddharthnagar against local AAP president Imran Latif.

The cases relate to alleged unauthorised entry into government school premises, recording videos and subsequently sharing them on social media.

The incidents have triggered a wider debate over whether activists and political workers should be permitted to enter government schools and document alleged deficiencies without prior authorisation.

While authorities have cited alleged unauthorised entry and misleading content in some of the cases, the activists maintain that their objective is to expose deficiencies in public education infrastructure and press for corrective action.

Justice Morcha member Mrityunjay Maurya alleged that the government was uncomfortable with young people publicly highlighting the condition of government schools and hospitals, and said the campaign would continue until improvements were made.

The government has not officially characterised the broader campaign as a crackdown on criticism, and the allegations against those booked remain subject to investigation.