A Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) team led by co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka was allegedly attacked on Friday while travelling to inspect a government school in Bagru near Jaipur, amid concerns over the condition of government schools in Rajasthan.
The team was visiting the school to investigate allegations that students were being taught in a cowshed-like temporary structure after the original school building was declared unsafe and closed last year. Students were reportedly shifted to a nearby temporary enclosure that also allegedly houses buffaloes.
The incident comes as data presented by the Rajasthan government shows that 611 government schools across the state do not have their own buildings.
611 schools without buildings
Responding to a question from Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully, the Rajasthan government said data under the UDISE 2025-26 framework showed that 611 schools were functioning without buildings, including 10 girls’ schools.
The highest number was recorded in Aklera block of Jhalawar, with 23 such schools. It was followed by Khanpur and Jhalrapatan, also in Jhalawar, with 16 and 11 respectively. Bap in Phalodi and Chotisarvan in Banswara had 11 and 10 schools without buildings.
Jaipur alone has 38 schools without buildings.
The government data also showed infrastructure gaps among schools that do have buildings. Of the 64,484 government schools with their own buildings, 2,047 reportedly lack toilets, while 1,049 do not have drinking-water facilities.
Banswara, Dungarpur and Udaipur recorded the highest numbers of schools without toilets, while Dausa, Udaipur and Alwar topped the list for schools without drinking-water facilities.
Opposition questions government spending
Jully alleged that the state government lacked a concrete plan to address the deteriorating condition of government schools.
He cited an audit conducted last year, claiming that 3,768 government schools had been declared completely dilapidated and unsafe, while 83,783 classrooms were also unsafe for use.
According to Jully, the closure or shifting of unsafe schools had contributed to declining enrolment.
The state government, however, said it had allocated funds for repairs and new construction. It has earmarked ₹550 crore for school repairs and renovation and ₹450 crore for constructing buildings for schools without buildings or those operating from dilapidated structures.
It also said ₹2,500 crore annually, or ₹12,500 crore over five years, would be available for construction, repair and maintenance of school buildings through sources including the District Mineral Foundation Trust, Samagra Shiksha, state funds, SDRF, CSR and local-area development funds.
