Kin and goons of former BSP minister Hazi Yaqoob Quershi barged inside a school in Meerut and assaulted students as well as staff members on Friday. Intially hesitant, the local police registered a case under media pressure but was yet to take action against the culprits even as the entire incident was captured in CCTV cameras. As per reports, two kin of the minister were studying in Class VIII of a reputed girl’s school situated on West End Road in Meerut. On Friday, the two did not attend their classes. On Saturday, when they joined school, the teachers questioned them and admonished them. This made the girls suspect that some class mates had given false information about their absence. The girls went back and informed her family who got agitated as to how could the teacher dare question them about their absence.
later, about a dozen goons and family members reached the school the same evening and finding no staff or students present in the campus, they damaged school property and returned.
The matter further took an ugly turn when on Monday morning again, when a group led by a woman kin of the minister reached the school with a whip in her hand. They locked the gate and later assaulted the students as well as teachers with the whip. When the principal tried to intervene, he too was not spared. When some college staff informed the local police, the cops reached there but kept standing outside the school while Qureshi’s goons beat up the staff and the kids. The assailants left handing out threats to the staff and students not to dare question the two students again. The frightened vistims shied way from reporting the matter to the police, but one of the teacher and a student’s father lodged a complaint. Two injured students were also admitted in a hospital. Despite the written complaint, the local police did not register any case and it was after the media intervened and referred to the CCTV footages, that the senior officers got a case registered. The top officials however claimed that they were probing the matter and will initiate proceedings later. Meanwhile, Qureshi denied allegations and said that his kin and other family members had gone to the school to discuss ceertain things and they did not beat up any one.