A case was filed on Wednesday night against acting principal of Shibram School and College in Sundarganj upazila on charge of illegally selling government school textbooks meant for free distribution.

Upazila Education Officer Mahmud Hossain Mondol filed the case with Sundarganj Police Station against acting principal Anwar Hossain and purchaser Akkas Ali under Special Power Act 1947.

Earlier, local people seized a rickshaw-van loaded with the textbooks of Class VI to Class IX of this year and the previous year near Chaitantola Bazar the same day and informed the upazila administration of the matter.

On information, Upazila Secondary Education Officer went to the spot and seized the textbooks with the help ofSundarganj police.

Sensing the presence of the law enforcers, however, buyer Akkas Ali and the van-puller fled the scene.

The seized goods include 106 textbooks of different subjects of current year and 3850 books of the previous year.

Officer-in-Charge Atiar Rahman of Sundarganj Police Station said they are conducting drives to arrest the other accused of the case.

Selling textbooks meant for free distribution among students is a punishable offence as declared by the government, said Sundarganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer SM Golam Kibria.

Contacted, Khurshid Jahan Smrity, president of the college governing body and wife of slain Gaibandha Lawmaker Manjurul Islam Liton, could not say anything about the issue as she is currently in the capital.