Headmaster Parthapratim Baidya approached Jadavpur police after examining the package, which reached his office on September 24. An FIR was lodged at Jadavpur police station on September 25, and investigators are seeking to establish who dispatched the parcel and why it was sent to the school.
The package contained religious material, including a copy of the Quran. The accompanying letter sought the inclusion of Islamic teaching and the study of religious texts in the syllabus, according to details provided by the headmaster.
Baidya said the school had not promoted religious dogma among its pupils and stressed that it followed an inclusive approach to education. He said teaching the tenets of one particular religion to students would be inconsistent with that approach.
The headmaster also voiced concern that the parcel could have been intended to create trouble, though he did not identify or accuse any individual. He said determining the circumstances surrounding the delivery, including the identity and intentions of the sender, was a matter for the police investigation.
Police are examining the origin of the registered parcel and attempting to verify the identity of the person named as its sender. Investigators are also reviewing CCTV footage from the school and surrounding areas as part of efforts to reconstruct how the material reached the institution.
One line of inquiry is whether the person whose name appeared on the parcel and letter actually sent the material or whether that identity was used by somebody else. No finding on that question has been announced, and police have not publicly attributed responsibility for sending the package.
Baidya said the material was not immediately examined on September 24 because school officials were occupied with other work. He opened it the following day, saw the letter and books and then took the contents to the police station, where he submitted information in writing and handed over the material.
He said the unusual nature of the request, rather than the presence of a religious book by itself, prompted him to contact police. The school teaches pupils to respect all faiths, he said, adding that he would have viewed a religious book differently had it simply been presented as a gift.
The headmaster said he had not encountered a similar episode during his teaching career and regarded the matter as sensitive because it involved a school with a large student population. The institution is located close to Jadavpur University in south Kolkata.
Baidya also informed the state secondary education authorities about the episode, extending the school’s response beyond the police complaint. Officials have not announced any separate administrative action over the request, leaving the criminal inquiry as the principal process.
School authorities have asked investigators to trace the source of the communication and establish why Jadavpur Vidyapith was selected to receive it. The inquiry is therefore focused both on verifying the sender and on determining whether the delivery was an isolated act.
The episode also raises a legal distinction relevant to state-funded education. Article 28 of India’s Constitution says no religious instruction shall be provided in an educational institution wholly maintained out of state funds, while providing separate rules for institutions administered by the state but established under an endowment or trust requiring religious instruction.
The constitutional provision also says a person attending a state-recognised or state-aided educational institution cannot be required to take part in religious instruction or worship conducted there without consent, with guardian consent required for minors.
No change to Jadavpur Vidyapith’s curriculum has been announced, and the school has treated the letter as an unsolicited request rather than an educational proposal under consideration. Its response has centred on reporting the delivery and preserving the parcel and its contents for investigation.
