Chandigarh, May 23 (IANS): The Punjab government has initiated a probe into the distribution of text books containing allegedly vulgar and irrelevant content in government schools, a minister said Wednesday.

Bathinda District Education Officer Surjit Singh Khuram was put under suspension for laxity in this connection.

Punjab Education Minister S.S. Maluka inspected the books supplied to the schools in the state which have sparked a controversy due to the alleged vulgar content. He was accompanied by officers of the school education department.

Maluka said that the principal secretary of school education was asked to probe how the books with vulgar content were passed by education department.

"The education minister found that the books dispatched to schools under the inspection of Director General School Education Kahan Singh Pannu are of sub-standard quality having vulgar content, which may cause adverse effect on the minds of the children. He found that 70 percent of the books were sub-standard and totally irrelevant," said a spokesman of the education department.

Maluka directed the language department to take utmost care in the future before finalising books for school students.

"A show cause notice has been issued to the director language department and a clarification has also been sought within 15 days," the spokesman said.

"Principal secretary, school education, has been deputed to inquire into the matter. An explanation has also been called from all the officers who were party to the decision of dispatching these books," the spokesman said.