ABVP Demands Action Over Anti-Govt Agitprop in Guna School: MP Child Rights Panel Vows Strict Probe
BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh Child Rights Protection Commission has taken serious note of a fancy dress performance by a Class 1 girl at Christ Senior Secondary School in Guna district. Meanwhile, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) registered its protest and submitted a memorandum to the school principal, demanding an explanation. The incident is said to have taken place on 13 October. It is alleged that the school’s fancy dress performance targeted democracy and constitutional institutions, especially the government, and sought to convey that governments at the Centre and in the state have taken away ordinary citizens’ right to speak, and that a dictatorship prevails in the country.
Dr Nivedita Sharma, chairperson of the Madhya Pradesh Child Rights Protection Commission, said plainly that no feeling against democracy, constitutional institutions or the government can be instilled in the tender minds of children. She warned that if any attempt is made, under any pretext, to teach hatred in schools, the centres of education, action will be taken in accordance with the rules.
At a fancy dress competition held at one Christ school in Guna, Madhya Pradesh, a primary class student appeared with two banners attached to her dress
One banner said – ‘democracy has been expelled from school because it asked questions’
Another banner said –
‘School of the… pic.twitter.com/1Gvs3elq0x— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) October 15, 2026
Dr Sharma said: “The purpose of education is for children to receive a good education, become successful citizens of the country, bring glory to the state and the nation across the world, and succeed in their own lives in every field. But if small children are used in schools to carry political messages, that is a direct violation of child rights.” The Commission has said it will issue directions to the officials concerned to investigate, and has sought a detailed report from the school management, the district education department and other parties concerned.
On Tuesday, a fancy dress competition was held at Christ Senior Secondary School in Guna for pupils from Class 1 to Class 5. During it, a Class 1 girl came on stage in her school uniform with a band tied across her mouth. She held a large placard in her hand, and another hung from her back.
The placard in her hand read:
“Sarkar ki Pathshala (The Government’s School)… Attendance Sheet
Unemployment: Present, Sir
Hatred: Present, Sir
Corruption: Present, Sir
Terrorism: Present, Sir
Inflation: Present, Sir
Poverty: Present, Sir
Democracy: Absent, Sir
Vote theft: Present, Sir
Paper leak: Present, Sir
Scams: Present, Sir”
The placard hanging from her back carried an even sharper message: “Democracy was expelled from the school because it asked questions…” Photographs and video of the performance went viral on social media. A debate broke out in the city’s political and social circles over whether it is appropriate for such a young girl to be used to deliver such pointed political messages at a private school’s cultural event.
As soon as it learnt of the incident, the Guna unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) swung into action. Its workers submitted a memorandum to the school principal and lodged a strong objection. The ABVP said that the purpose of academic and cultural programmes should be to promote students’ talent, creativity and personality development. Displaying political messages through innocent children on such platforms, it said, runs contrary to academic dignity.
‘Democracy Expelled’: Class 1 Student Paraded With Anti-Govt Political Messages At Christ Senior Secondary School In MP, Management Blames Parents https://t.co/ysuZgR2Nid via @The Commune
— Samskarebyaha "Modi Ka Parivar" (@samskarebyaha) October 16, 2026
The ABVP’s clear position is that such a stage performance could not have taken place without the school’s permission, and that, even if it was happening, the school administration should have tried to stop it immediately. If no such attempt was made, it said, it will be assumed that the school administration gave this negative effort its tacit support.
The Parishad demanded an impartial inquiry into the role of the event in-charge and the teachers concerned. It also asked that the matter be reported to the District Education Officer and the Child Rights Protection Commission, and that the school management clarify its official stance. The ABVP warned that, if satisfactory action is not taken, it will file a statutory complaint before the child rights and education authorities.
As the controversy grew, the school’s principal, Father Babu Tharayil CMI, issued an official clarification. The management said the girl’s costume did not conform to the guidelines laid down for the competition. The school claims the decision was entirely the parents’ and that they had dressed the child at home and sent her. The management said it had issued a show-cause notice to the teacher in charge of the programme, and that monitoring would be increased to prevent such incidents from recurring.
According to another piece of information related to the episode, the girl who took part in the fancy dress competition is reportedly the granddaughter of a senior Congress leader of the city, though there is no independent confirmation of this. Several senior Congress leaders, including the Congress district president and Raghogarh MLA Jaivardhan Singh, shared pictures of the girl’s costume on social media. It has emerged that these posts were used to target the BJP government. Some citizens of the city also questioned whether it was wrong for a private school to make such an attempt. They asked who the people organising the event were and what they were teaching the children.
अब हमारे गुना में भी सरकार की पाठशाला!
बेरोज़गारी — प्रेज़ेंट सर!
नफ़रत — प्रेज़ेंट सर!
भ्रष्टाचार — प्रेज़ेंट सर!
आतंकवाद — प्रेज़ेंट सर!
महँगाई — प्रेज़ेंट सर!
गरीबी — प्रेज़ेंट सर!
वोट चोरी — प्रेज़ेंट सर!
पेपर लीक — प्रेज़ेंट सर!
घोटाले — प्रेज़ेंट सर!लोकतंत्र — एब्सेंट… pic.twitter.com/GJDSnVFIKZ
— Jaivardhan Singh (@JVSinghINC) October 14, 2026
After the Madhya Pradesh Child Rights Protection Commission took cognisance, the entire matter has come under the supervision of the education department and the child rights authority. Dr Nivedita Sharma’s statement makes it clear that the Commission will not tolerate any attempt to make small children a vehicle for political propaganda.
Psychologist Dr Anukampa Mishra said that a child in Class 1 is not yet capable of understanding political issues. In such a situation, she said, for parents or any other party to prepare the child and bring her on stage to establish a particular narrative that is not universally acceptable, and that could have a deep and negative impact on her young mind, is in fact against both child psychology and child rights. It is also the school’s responsibility, she said, to review in advance the costumes entered in a competition, and to select themes according to their importance and seriousness, keeping children’s interests in view.
For now, the ABVP is demanding an inquiry and accountability, the school management says it is issuing a notice to the teacher in charge, and the Child Rights Commission is conducting a thorough inquiry. It remains to be seen what action the education department and the Commission take, and what conclusions the school draws in its own review. The whole episode has once again brought to the fore the question of how much room political messages should have in schools’ cultural programmes, and how children’s tender age can be prevented from being turned into a political weapon.
