Dehradun: The district administration has registered FIRs against multiple bookstores following allegations of tax evasion, overpricing and illegal transactions. Acting on complaints from parents, authorities seized bill books and stock registers during simultaneous raids led by the city magistrate and three SDMs.
Inspections were conducted at Universal Book Depot (Rajpur Road), National Book Depot (Dispensary Road) and Brother Pustak Bhandar (Subhash Road). Officials allegedly found violations including GST evasion, fake publications, and untracked ISBN numbers.
Dehradun district magistrate Savin Bansal stated that the action was taken in response to concerns over parents being compelled to purchase overpriced books and stationery from specific vendors. “Following directives from Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, we launched a crackdown on such bookstores. These businesses were found selling overpriced books, items without bills, and evading GST. FIRs have been registered against them,” he said.
Several parents’ associations have raised concerns about a potential nexus between private schools, publishers, and retailers, which could be financially exploiting parents. Some schools allegedly pressured parents to buy materials from designated vendors. Authorities are now investigating GST evasion, unauthorized book publications, and the involvement of schools in these practices.
Bansal emphasized that the administration is aware of the burden such malpractices place on parents and students. Scrutiny of both bookstores and private educational institutions will be intensified to prevent further exploitation.
