Jaipur: On Friday (August 21), a delegation of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was allegedly attacked as it was visiting the Rampura Kanwarpura village in Jaipur district’s Bagru to inspect a government school which reportedly has a dilapidated building.As the CJP accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of sending its “goons” to attack its delegation, the Rajasthan education minister hit back, claiming that “individuals associated with certain so-called political parties are visiting schools and attempting to unnecessarily spoil the atmosphere.”Earlier, after the CJP’s announcement of its “School Thik Karo (repair schools)” initiative, the Rajasthan government had issued an order, prohibiting “outsiders” from entering the public school premises without prior permission and also restricted photography and live streaming of school premises.While the government in the BJP-ruled state has taken a clear stand against any third-party initiative to inspect and highlight the dilapidated condition of school buildings, its own data reveals a dismal state of affairs.45,365 school buildings need major repairs, govt had said in JanuaryIn January this year, while replying to a question in the Rajasthan assembly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state said that as per a survey conducted in August 2025, out of 65,308 government schools in the state, 45,365 school buildings – 69% of the schools surveyed – were in need of major repairs.The government also stated in its response to the question – asked by BJP MLA from Kota South Sandeep Sharma – that during the survey, 3,768 schools were identified as dilapidated.The government also said in its response in January that out of the 45,365 school buildings which required major repairs, at the time of the reply, only 4,187 schools had received approval for the repair works.In the reply, the government also accepted that the seepage of water was one of the reasons for the dilapidated state of school buildings.The government further added in its reply that the survey found that 83,783 classrooms and 16,765 toilets were completely dilapidated, while 29,753 toilets required major repairs.1.6 lakh classrooms don’t have concrete roofsAnother significant detail revealed in the government’s reply in January is that 1,69,217 classrooms didn’t have reinforced cement concrete (RCC) roofs. RCC roofs were available in only 50,685 classrooms.The government survey of school buildings was conducted in August 2025 in the aftermath of the collapse of a government school building on July 25, 2025 in Jhalawar district, which resulted in the deaths of seven children while several others were injured.The Wire had reported at the time that the students of the school alleged that their warnings were ignored when they told teachers about chunks falling from the roof. Locals said that villagers had earlier raised the issue of the school building being in need of repair.611 schools functioning without buildingsOn Friday, in its reply to an unstarred question by Congress MLA and Rajasthan Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully, the state government said that according to data from the Unified District Information System for Education (UDISE) 2025-26, 611 schools in Rajasthan were functioning without buildings, with 10 of these institutions being girls’ schools.The government further added in its reply that as per the data, 2,047 schools don’t have toilets while 1,049 schools don’t have drinking water facilities for students.Congress slams BJP, accuses it of ‘misleading public’After the CJP delegation was allegedly assaulted on Friday, Rajasthan leader of opposition Jully launched a scathing attack on the BJP government in the state, accusing it of misleading the public.“The home minister should answer, the chief minister should answer. Will you promote this kind of violence inside Rajasthan? Who are these people who have been given open licence, doing whatever they please in such a dictatorial manner in Rajasthan? On whose signal has their courage grown? These people have committed violence against the children who came to check the school,” said Jully.Jully termed the Rajasthan government’s order restricting people from inspecting schools as a “black law.”“Those who are student leaders, children, they went there to raise the voice of children. What problem does the government have? If they raise their voice, the government should listen to their voice and work to improve the condition of schools,” Jully added.Jully alleged that without the government’s protection, it was not possible to assault people who go to schools for inspection.“Yesterday I went to check the school, I was stopped at the gate. Today these children went to check, and they were beaten up. This is wrong. Without the government’s protection, no one can take such a step,” said Jully.Activists and civil society members have condemned the alleged assault on the CJP delegation and demanded immediate arrest of the perpetrators.“PUCL demands the immediate arrest of all those accused of attacking and injuring the approximately 40-member CJP delegation and strict legal action against them. PUCL alleges that the attack was not spontaneous but was carried out by a mob that had been mobilised in advance. PUCL believes that attacking civil society activists who seek to expose the deteriorating condition of government schools is not only a serious failure of law and order but also an attack on democratic accountability,” People’s Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL) national president Kavita Srivastava said in a statement after the incident on Friday.Education minister calls Dipke’s ultimatum ‘effort to spoil atmosphere’Following the attack on its delegation, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke warned of a bigger agitation if those responsible for the attack are not arrested within the next 48 hours.On the other hand, senior BJP leader and Rajasthan education minister Madan Dilawar maintained that the inspection visits to government schools are an effort to “spoil the atmosphere.”“Do not turn schools into political arenas! It has come to our knowledge that individuals associated with certain so-called political parties are visiting schools and attempting to unnecessarily spoil the atmosphere. This is extremely regrettable. A school is a sacred space for building the future of children. Here, the focus should be on education, values, and a bright future for students – not politics,” Dilawar posted on X on Friday.“Everyone should remain vigilant against attempts to tarnish the school environment for selfish interests and fleeting applause. I appeal to all teachers, parents, and the general public: Refrain from such efforts and join hands in protecting the dignity of schools, their educational atmosphere, and the future of our children,” he added.On Saturday (August 22), Dilawar said in another post on X that continuous efforts are being made towards strengthening government schools In Rajasthan and in the last two budgets, several important provisions have been made, including a Rs 12,335 crore action plan for school infrastructure.