AGRA: Students and teachers of around a dozen government primary and upper primary schools in Aligarh were forced to stay out of their classrooms on Wednesday as local residents in Iglas area herded stray cows and bulls inside the school compounds. Later, the schools were closed by the administration and the children went back to their homes. FIRs were being registered till the time of filing of this report.

Angered by

roaming around in their villages and damaging crops, residents of Mohakampur in Iglas, Kaser Gangiri in

and a few other blocks of the district locked up around 800 animals in schools. Protests against the stray cattle menace have been happening in Aligarh for the past three days. Stray animals were even locked up inside a primary health centre.

Sonia Verma, a teacher in one of the primary schools which was closed said, “We are facing a lot of problems as classes are being disrupted and students are feeling insecure due to the prevailing atmosphere. The school compound has also become dirty. We don’t know when this issue will be resolved, but we have informed our seniors.”

An emergency meeting was called by district magistrate CB Singh, which was attended by police officers, pradhans of the villages and the education officer. The DM directed pradhans to control the situation and prevent residents from resorting to such measures. “These incidents are unusual and seem to be politically motivated. FIRs will be lodged against people responsible for this,” Singh added.

Following the meeting, basic shiksha adhikari (BSA) Dr Laxmikant Pandey issued a letter to all block education officers (BEO) and asked them to direct teachers of primary and upper primary schools to make video clippings of those people who herded stray cows into schools and provide the clippings to the police station concerned with a complaint.

Senior superintendent of police Ajay Kumar Sahini told TOI that people responsible for such an act would be booked under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.