WB government shutting 125 RSS schools is old news
BJP supporter Sanjay Dixit tweeted a screengrab of a Republic TV broadcast on chief minister Mamata Banerjee closing 125 RSS schools in West Bengal.
By Newsmeter Network Published on 8 May 2021 10:36 AM GMT
HYDERABAD: BJP supporter Sanjay Dixit tweeted a screengrab of a Republic TV broadcast on chief minister Mamata Banerjee closing 125 RSS schools in West Bengal.
Editor-in-chief of Vishwavani Daily Vishweshwar Bhat also shared the screengrab of Republic TV broadcast. (archive)
This screengrab then became viral on Twitter.
NewsMeter found that this news is not recent and was telecast in 2018. Thus, it is not linked to the elections.
FACT CHECK:
NewsMeter searched on the YouTube page of Republic TV on shutting down 125 RSS schools and found the video from which the screengrab was taken. However, it should be noted that the video dates back to February 2018. This proves that the screengrab is not recent.
A report by First Post from 2018 states that Education minister Partha Chatterjee has said that the state government has identified and "stopped" 125 schools allegedly affiliated to the RSS, which are functioning without a No Objection Certificate (NOC).
The West Bengal government would take 'proper measures' if the RSS-run schools were found imparting training to students with sticks in the guise of education.
"The state government has received information on about 493 schools that are inspired by RSS. Out of these, 125 are running without any no-objection certificate from the government. We have already asked these school authorities that will not be able to operate anymore. An investigation is on against the remaining schools," The Hindustan Times said quoting the Education minister.
Several other news organizations such as Scroll.in, ABP News and Times Now also covered the issue in 2018.
Evidently, a three-year-old news broadcast of the West Bengal government banning 125 RSS-run schools has been falsely linked to the recent state elections.
