Crowd pelts stones at shut ration centre in Rohini, resident nabbed

THE POLICE, HOWEVER, SAID THE INCIDENT WAS REPORTED ON MAY 7, AFTER WHICH THEY HAD ARRESTED A RESIDENT OF THE AREA

nNEWDELHI: A crowd of ration-seekers allegedly pelted stones on and tried to break open the gates of a North Delhi Municipal Corporation school — a temporary dry ration distribution centre — in Prem Nagar, Rohini, on Thursday morning. The police, however, said the incident was reported on May 7, after which they had arrested a local resident.

Ramniwas Solanki, the general secretary of the MCD Teachers’ Union, said the crowd of around 500 became agitated after finding the gate of the school closed. Solanki claimed the school was locked following a Delhi government order that said all schools turned into ration centres will stay shut on Thursday.

“It was declared a ‘Closing Day’ on which no ration will be distributed and we (teachers) were required to take stock of how much ration has been received from godowns and how much of it had been distributed in the last one month,” Solanki said.

“We had already put up boards outside the school gates announcing that no ration will be distributed on Thursday. However, the crowd that turned up in the morning wasn’t ready to go back empty-handed. First, the men abused us. They then started pelting stones and broke a classroom’s window,” said Bharat Lal Meena, principal of the Nagar Nigam Prathmik Bal Vidyalaya, Prem Nagar, Rohini Zone.

North body commissioner,

Varsha Joshi, said, “We are writing to the Food Supply and Consumer Affairs (FCS) department of Delhi Government on the subject. The concerned deputy commissioners and additional directors of education (of the corporation) have regularly raked up the issues being faced by teachers on duty, but to no avail.”

A senior government official said, “The food and civil supplies department has taken cognizance of the matter and the issue will be resolved at the earliest. This month around 2.5 million individuals, who do not possess ration cards, have availed essentials under the special scheme.

Deputy commissioner of police (Rohini) Pramod Kumar Mishra, said the incident was reported on May 7 but the video of stone pelting was circulated on social media on Thursday.

Mishra said that the police was informed by the locals and they arrested Kishan.