Bihar BDO writes letter to schools for not sending teachers for NRC training, gets transferred

A Block Development Officer (BDO), who wrote a letter to the principals of three government schools in Bihar seeking explanation as to why they failed to send teachers for training towards the National Register of Citizens (NRC), has been transferred with immediate effect.

The letter issued by the BDO in Hindi, not only rebuked the principals but also cast aspersions on their professionalism. “…you are apparently opposed to the NRC at the instance of some political party,” said BDO of Mokama, Satish Kumar.

The BDO said that the letter was a result of a goof-up and a corrigendum had been published. “It was a human error as the clerk concerned wrote NRC, instead of NPR (National Population Register), in the letter issued to the principals for their failure to send teachers to carry out the NPR/census exercise,” said the BDO, who has now been transferred to the Rural Development Department.

“BDO of Pandarak, Puja Kumari, has been asked to join as BDO, Mokama in place of Satish Kumar, who has been transferred for his erroneous letter,” a senior official informed DH here on Sunday.

The Opposition in Bihar was quick to seize the matter and questioned Chief Minister Nitish Kumar if his announcement in the Assembly that “there will be no NRC in Bihar” was just a white lie.

“White lie of Nitish Kumar caught. Now you all have to decide who the real Sanghi is (sic),” tweeted Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, in Hindi.

Former Union Minister and president of the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) Upendra Kushwaha was equally scathing. “@Nitish Kumar ji, you left even the BJP behind. PM@narendramodi says NRC has not been discussed and you got orders passed. And you have the temerity to accuse school principals of collusion with a political party sic?”, tweeted Kushwaha.

It’s worth mentioning here that Nitish is quite opposed to the NRC but is soft on NPR. He has, however, asked the Centre to use the old NPR form (of 2010) instead of new one as the latter “has created confusion, fear and apprehensions by seeking details of place and date of birth of parents.”