The Rajasthan Police has arrested the principal of a government school in Kota district for allegedly deleting several posts about the Hindu festival of Ganesh Chaturthi from a group on the messaging application WhatsApp, India Today reported on Sunday.

Unidentified police officials said that the committee members of the Government Higher Secondary School in Latoori were part of a WhatsApp group that included the residents of the village.

On Saturday, the principal of the school, Shafi Mohammad Ansari, allegedly deleted a message posted on the group by one of the residents on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, the officials said. A similar message posted by a teacher around two hours later was also deleted by Ansari.

Subsequently, the residents organised a protest seeking Ansari’s removal from his post and his arrest, India Today reported. The police went to the spot and said that action would be taken.

A first information report was registered based on a complaint filed by the villagers against Ansari for disturbing the peace.