CATTLE LOCKED INSIDE SCHOOL, CLASSES HELD IN OPEN

Villagers agitated as stray cattle have been destroying their crops

PRAYAGRAJ: Braving the chill, students of a primary school in Bhadivar village under Shankergarh development block were forced to attend classes in the open after agitating villagers locked up stray cattle inside the school premises on Monday. SDM Bara DS Pathak said the villagers were agitated as the stray cattle have been destroying their crops for the last several months.

PRAYAGRAJ :Braving the chill, students of a primary school in Bhadivar village under Shankergarh development block were forced to attend classes in the open after agitating villagers locked up stray cattle inside the school premises on Monday.

School principal Kamlesh Singh said on reaching the school at 9am, he found over 100 stray cattle locked inside the school. “The school starts at 10am. As the school gate was locked and over two dozen agitating farmers, armed with sticks, were sitting outside the gate, as many as 40 students were made to sit and study outside the premises. The agitating villagers were not in favour of opening the gates,” he informed.

SDM Bara DS Pathak said the villagers were agitated as the stray cattle have been destroying their crops for the last several months. “We got the school premises vacated by 1.30 pm. Measures will be taken to ensure that such an incident is not repeated,” he said.According to reports, residents of Bhadivar village and its surrounding localities in Shankergarh development block have been suffering from the stray cattle menace for the last few months. Failing to get any relief despite lodging a complaint with tehsil officials, they were forced to locked as many as 100 animals inside the primary school.

When asked about the issue, district magistrate Suhas LY said an FIR will be lodged against villagers who locked up the cattle, thus hindering the functioning of the school.

The incident came barely a few days after chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed all the DMs to ensure that farmers don’t face any problems due to stray cattle menace and also to shift the cattle to ‘Gau Sanrakshan Kendras’ by January 10.