A Class 1 student at Christ Senior Secondary School in Guna, Madhya Pradesh, sparked a political controversy after appearing at a fancy dress competition wearing placards with messages criticising the government over unemployment, inflation, corruption, terrorism and the state of democracy.
The incident took place on Tuesday, 13 October 2026. The primary school student appeared on stage in her school uniform with a bandage covering her mouth and placards attached to her dress, carrying politically charged messages.
One placard read, “Democracy has been expelled from school because it asked questions.”
Another presented an imaginary school attendance register titled “School of the Government”, listing various issues as present while marking democracy absent. It read:
Unemployment – Present, Sir
Hatred – Present, Sir
Corruption – Present, Sir
Terrorism – Present, Sir
Inflation – Present, Sir
Poverty – Present, Sir
Democracy – Absent, Sir
At a fancy dress competition held at one Christ school in Guna, Madhya Pradesh, a primary class student appeared with two banners attached to her dress
One banner said – ‘democracy has been expelled from school because it asked questions’
Another banner said –
‘School of the government:
Unemployment – Present, Sir
Hatred – Present, Sir
Corruption – Present, Sir
Terrorism – Present, Sir
Inflation – Present, Sir
Poverty – Present, Sir
Democracy – Absent, Sir’Why are kids increasingly being used as vehicles for political narratives? Who approved this fancy dress performance? What impression it would leave on the child?
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) October 15, 2026
The presentation used the imagery of a school attendance register to deliver political commentary, portraying unemployment, inflation, corruption and other issues as pervasive while suggesting that democracy had been sidelined.
School Distances Itself From The Presentation
Following the controversy, Father Babu Tharayil CMI, principal of Christ Senior Secondary School, issued a clarification distancing the school from the presentation, as reported in Patrika.
The school stated that it neither supported nor agreed with the performance and maintained that the presentation did not comply with the guidelines laid down for the fancy dress competition.
According to the principal’s clarification, the student had not been prepared or instructed by the teachers to present this particular look or message. The school maintained that the decision was entirely that of the parents, who prepared the child at home and sent her to the event.
Subscribe to our channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
