Shillong Feb. 18: Pictures showing Jesus Christ holding a cigarette in his right hand and a beer can in the other in primary school exercise books has kicked up a storm here.
Meghalaya police today confiscated a large number of these cursive writing exercise copies and textbooks published by Skyline Publication, Delhi, prescribed in primary classes in Shillong schools, after St Joseph’s School, Jaiaw, filed an FIR against the publisher following complaints by several parents last night.
The police acted on the information this afternoon and seized several copies from the sole local book distributor, Students’ Book Stall, Barabazar.
Education minister Ampareen Lyngdoh today said the department had also sent the director of the department, W. Khyllep, to visit the school and begin an inquiry.
After Khyllep’s visit, the police asked students to hand over the textbooks.
Ampareen said the book was not a prescribed text of the Meghalaya Board of School Education and the private schools were buying them directly from the publisher.
Only textbooks for Classes IX and Class X, prescribed by the education board, are followed in all the schools.
Schools have the prerogative to choose texts for lower classes.
“Despite this, we have initiated action and sought the help of the district administration to confiscate these controversial books,” said Ampareen.
The books of Classes I to III have the controversial picture of Jesus with a cigarette and beer can.
The owner of Students’ Book Stall, Ranjit Singh, today said he had spoken to the owner of Skyline Publications, Indra Mohan Jha, who has apologised for the mistake.
“He told me it may be the fault of the designers who had taken the picture from the Internet,” Singh said.
There are several morphed pictures of Jesus on the Internet.
The Archbishop of Shillong, Archdiocese Dominic Jala, said: “We protest the manner in which Jesus is depicted in the textbooks,” adding that the matter would be taken up at the national level.
The Indian Catholic Youth Movement, Shillong Archdiocese, also condemned the printing of “demeaning” picture of Jesus Christ in school textbooks.
