New Delhi: It was a usual, quiet Monday morning in Lucknow for Satyendra Kumar Dwivedi when his phone rang. He answered almost immediately; this was not usual. Dwivedi learnt that his daughter, a third grade student at a private school in Lucknow, had missed a scheduled exam because the van she was travelling to school in had been attacked by six kanwariyas riding two-up on three motorcycles at the city’s Charak Crossing.
The van, carrying half-a-dozen girl students of a missionary school, was attacked at about 6 am.
“The driver told me that the kanwariyas were trying to overtake his vehicle, and when he stopped the vehicle out of frustration, they abused him and vandalised his vehicle,” said Dwivedi. Afraid for his own life and that of the children, the driver began calling the parents to the spot. “There were nursery class children and some of fifth and sixth grade. They were all so traumatised and shaken up that they had to be brought back home. My daughter missed her examination,” said Dwivedi.
Other parents of the students in the attacked van were contacted by ThePrint, but none of them wished to speak about the incident.
According to a senior Uttar Pradesh officer aware of the matter, a school van had a minor collision with a motorcycle around 6 am on Monday. “The driver of the van had applied the brakes near Charak Crossing when a motorcycle collided with it. One of the riders struck the vehicle and then they fled the spot,” he said.
The kanwariyas, identified by their typical attire, allegedly struck the rear windshield and wing-mirrors of the school van with their bare hands.
A viral video that ThePrint could not independently verify features a woman claiming she witnessed the incident. In the video, the woman alleges that a group of men deliberately attacked the vehicle and used abusive language before running away.
In the video, local residents have also alleged that the kanwariyas pelted stones, and that the police did not take any action despite the alarm being raised. Meanwhile, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shubham Kumar said that the accused have been identified through surveillance footage and the registration plates on the motorcycles. Kumar said that a First Information Report against unknown persons has been registered, and the statement of the van driver been recorded. No arrests have been made so far, however, The officer also denied the allegations of stone-pelting.
“When there was a collision there was a heated argument between the van driver and the men. Some of them attacked the vehicle and broke some of its glasses while minor girls were inside. However, surveillance footage has shown that they did not pelt stones.” said the officer. He also added that the minors did not incur any injuries.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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