# Dalit principal retires, successor cleans office with Gangajal 2026-10-07T07:36:49+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets A video of a teacher at a PM Shri school in Maihar, Madhya Pradesh, sprinkling Gangajal (Ganges water) and performing a puja before taking charge as acting principal has sparked a controversy. The video went viral on social media after the previous principal, Ram Sakha Verma, a Dalit, retired on 30 September. Bhimm Army activists staged a protest outside the school on Tuesday, 6 October, and submitted a memorandum to the tehsildar demanding action against the acting principal, Ram Sakhendra Dwivedi. They allege the ‘purification’ ritual was an insult to the Dalit community. Dwivedi has rejected the allegations, stating the video is from 5 October and shows a routine welcome event where water used in the puja was sprinkled. ## Indian Opinion Analysis TV9 Hindi leads with the Bhim Army’s accusation of caste-based ‘purification’ and the protest, framing the event as a social discrimination incident. Dainik Bhaskar does not cover this story, it reports a separate incident of a headmaster in West Champaran accused of drinking alcohol, which is irrelevant here. The coverage of the Maihar case is uniform from a single source, with the teacher’s denial included but placed after the allegations. The key open question is whether the district administration will order an inquiry and what evidence it will consider. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 neutral - tv9hindi.com (neutral report) Reports both sides, leads with allegation but includes denial - bhaskar.com This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Tags: Bhim Army, Madhya Pradesh, Maihar, PM Shri School, Ram Sakhendra Dwivedi Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/dalit-principal-retires-successor-cleans-office-with-gangajal/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/dalit-principal-retires-successor-cleans-office-with-gangajal/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/