New Delhi: According to directives issued by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Gujarat directives on Wednesday (October 22), no person including parents and guardians of students can now enter a government school in the state without a written permission. Even those who obtain permission to enter cannot take pictures or make videos inside the school, reported Indian Express.“Any outside person wishing to enter the school premises must obtain prior written permission from the school principal or the head of the institution”, the circular says. “Only government officials who have been duly authorised under the applicable rules to perform their official duties shall be exempt from this requirement,” says the directives which are part of an Education Department circular which will now apply to 46,000 primary, secondary and higher secondary schools across the state.As per the circular, every visitor who enter the premises of a school will have to record their details in the visitors’ register. After they are inside, they will further need written permission to enter classrooms, laboratories, libraries, hostels, playgrounds, toilets, or other areas.A violation of the restrictions listed in the circular will result in legal action, reported Indian Express.Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Gujarat education minister Pradyuman Vaja said that the restrictions are aimed to target individuals with “mala fide intentions” and “political interest”.“It applies only to non-authorised persons and persons with mala fide intentions. People can enter schools, but only after permission. If anyone wants to visit without mala fide intentions and political interest they can do so with permission. Violators will attract all the existing four-five laws including POCSO (the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012), Juvenile Justice Act (2015) and the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023), but only if there is a violation of these legal provisions,” Vaja said.Notably, earlier this year, after the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP’s) announcement of its “School Thik Karo (repair schools)” initiative, the BJP government in Rajasthan had issued a similar order, prohibiting “outsiders” from entering the public school premises without prior permission and also restricted photography and live streaming of school premises.In BJP-ruled West Bengal, on August 13, as part of the CJP’s campaign, hours after 25-year-old Sheikh Abdul Hafiz walked into the government primary school in their village Karisunda asked to inspect it for the most basic of amenities, his family was attacked at home. His father, Sheikh Mohammad Mafik, died of his injuries on August 15. Eight people were arrested after the event, including a BJP leader.