Arun Modern Senior Secondary School and a madrasa, located in Farooqi Mosque on the same street in Brijpuri area, were vandalised and torched by mobs on Tuesday.
“Your home: Your Sweet Home; School: Your Second Home” reads the charred remnants of a textbook in the library of the burnt school where around 1,000 students are enrolled.
“I don’t know why they targeted the school. The signs of violence are present in every corner of the institute. They burnt down the computer laboratory, library, classrooms, toilets, school bus. Records of all students have been gutted,” said a teacher, who wished not to be named.
Bhisham Sharma, owner of the school, said the rioters burnt books worth ₹70 lakh. Mr. Sharma said that the mob was on a rampage and the assault continued from 3.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. “The only thing we are thankful is that there were no children at that time in the school, otherwise the loss would have been huge,” he said. The rioters targeted the properties after identifying it as belonging to Hindus and Muslims, he said.
Kesar Abidi, a school teacher said that most of the children in the school are from Muslim families but it is owned by Mr. Sharma. “They damaged every classroom. It is a very shameful act. God is a witness to everything. He [God] will not spare the perpetrator,” said Ms. Abidi.
Ms. Abidi who is a social studies teacher, said, “How and what will I explain to the students when they will ask me about the damage. How will I face the questions from the students. I don’t want innocent kids to know about Hindus and Muslims.”
Destroy CCTV room
Just after the attack on the school, a mob attacked a madarsa located next door. The floor of the mosque has blood stains, burnt curtains and damaged furniture. “After vandalising the mosque, the mob entered the madarsa and set it on fire. The students ran for their lives. After damaging everything, the rioters returned to set a CCTV room on fire to destroy the evidence of the violence,” said Rizwan, a local resident.
The maulvi of the mosque was thrashed by a mob and was left only after thinking he was dead, said Mr. Rizwan.
