A Class 8 student of a madarsa at Badar Bagh, averted a tragedy by alerting his principal that rat poison had allegedly been mixed in the container of the madarsa's water cooler, the police said on Monday, 18 September.
The student of the Chacha Nehru Madarsa, adjoining the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus, told the principal that two unidentified men had allegedly mixed the poison in the water.
The boy noticed two men tinkering with the water cooler on Saturday and emptying some white powder from a packet with a 'rat poison' label into the container of the machine, police said, quoting an FIR filed by Rashid Ali, the public relations officer of the school.
Sensing mischief, the 13-year-old rushed to the principal's office to inform him about the incident, the police said.
They said the two men, who had spotted the boy noticing their act, had threatened to shoot him by pulling out a pistol if he opened his mouth before escaping.
A police team, which went to the madarsa, found the remnants of the packet left behind which, the police said, contained 'rat poison'.
The institution is managed by Al-Noor Educational Society, chaired by Salma Ansari, the wife of former vice president Hamid Ansari. When contacted, Salma Ansari said, "I am shocked over the cowardly attempt to harm innocent children." She said a major tragedy was averted thanks to the courage of the boy who spotted the two men.
Investigating officer Javed Khan said forensic tests were being carried out to ascertain the chemical composition of the white powder.
City Superintendent of Police Atul Srivastava said that the matter was being investigated.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)