‘Don’t embark on Kanwar Yatra’: UP school teacher’s poem during assembly sparks right-wing backlash; booked

Rajneesh Gangwar is now facing an FIR filed at Baheri police station, following a complaint by the Kanwar Seva Samiti.

A government school teacher in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, has been booked by UP police for allegedly reciting a poem ‘critical of the Kanwar Yatra’ during the morning assembly in school, The Indian Express reported.

The teacher, identified as Rajneesh Gangwar, is now facing an FIR (First Information Report) filed at Baheri police station, following a complaint by the Kanwar Seva Samiti.

According to the police, the poem was interpreted by some as being critical of the Kanwar Yatra, which led to protests from residents. A short 27-second clip from a longer video went viral on social media. “Don’t embark on Kanwar Yatra, light the lamp of knowledge instead,” the teacher can be heard saying in the viral video.

"कावड़ लेने मत जाना, तुम ज्ञान का दीप जलाना"
"मानवता की सेवा करके, तुम सच्चे मानव बन जाना"

ये कविता सुनाने वाले टीचर रजनीश गंगवार पर बरेली, यूपी में FIR हो गई है।

कविता की अंतिम पंक्तियां इस प्रकार हैं 👇

"कांवड़ ढोकर कोई वकील, डीएम एसपी नहीं बना है।
कावड़ जल से कोई बनिया… pic.twitter.com/BVrONXDBOa

— Sachin Gupta (@SachinGuptaUP) July 14, 2025

The poem sparked outrage on social media and from some right-wing groups, who claimed the teacher was insulting a religious practice. These groups allegedly threatened that the teacher should either apologise or face suspension and public protests.

The school’s principal, Ashok Kumar Gangwar, said that he was on leave when the incident took place. "I was on a two-day leave. The poem was read by the teacher on Saturday during an activity in the school. I received information about this issue over the phone, and a clarification has been sought from the teacher,” TOI quoted the principal as saying.

In his defence, Rajneesh Gangwar stated that the poem had a positive message and was not intended to hurt anyone’s sentiments. "During an activity, I read a poem to the students and did not say anything wrong. However, for some time now, there has been a conspiracy against me within the school. About a year-and-a-half ago, there was an attempt to file an FIR against me, accusing me of assaulting students. When nothing was found, a 26-second video was cut to create a false narrative against me,” Gangwar was quoted by TOI as saying.

Baheri Circle Officer Arun Kumar confirmed that an investigation is underway to verify whether the video is authentic or edited. “We are also looking into who recorded and circulated the video. Further legal action will be taken,” he added.