Noida: Students of Bihari Lal Inter College in Dankaur took to the streets on Wednesday to protest against an alleged attempt to encroach on their school’s land.According to a complaint submitted by the management, a group allegedly attempted to forcibly occupy a portion of the school’s land on Sept 19. The incident took place around 8pm after which the management contacted police and other officials. Cops arrived at the school and stopped the men, but a boundary wall of the school was completely damaged, the complaint said.“The school was built 78 years ago, in 1948, and was recognised by the state govt. The institution has been run from the same premises without interruption. Then, why are land mafias suddenly encroaching on it? The administration must look into this,” the principal of the school, Mahekar Singh, said.Police said the buyers had started construction on the school’s land on Wednesday when a group of students removed the newly laid bricks, prompting a protest. The school currently has around 1,800 students enrolled.The management has now sought police protection to rebuild the damaged boundary wall and take legal action against those allegedly involved in the incident.A senior officer at Dankaur police station said two men from Nawada village had bought a plot of land adjacent to the school and when they started construction at the site on Wednesday, the principal and manager of the private school raised an objection and informed the cops.“They said that the land is caught in a legal dispute and the matter is pending before the sub-divisional magistrate. When we got the call, a police response vehicle and a team of cops went to the spot. They counselled both parties and told them to maintain peace and ensure the status quo regarding construction on the disputed land,” the officer said.Students who had gathered at the spot were pacified and sent back to the school. “The revenue department has been asked to take necessary action. Peace and order are currently maintained at the site,” he added.The SDM said a report has been sought from both sides. They have been ordered to present valid documents. “Based on the document, a further decision will be taken,” SDM Sadar Asutosh Gupta said.In the past few months, students in different districts have taken to the streets to protest the lack of basic amenities. At Jai Prakash Narayan Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Lucknow, students marched out of the campus and blocked roads, alleging shortages of teachers, poor food, inadequate drinking water facilities and other basic infrastructure. The protest came amid growing frustration over problems affecting their education, with students demanding immediate intervention from the administration.
