Tensions flared at St Xavier’s School in Mirzapur on Wednesday after a four-year-old boy briefly went missing, leading to a heated altercation between the child’s family and the school’s vice-principal. The incident resulted in police complaints being filed by both sides.
The episode began around 1:30 pm when Rehnuma Banu, a Shahpur resident, received a call from her son’s autorickshaw driver informing her that four-year-old Abdul Ahad, a senior KG student, was not present at the school for pickup. The boy had reportedly been dropped off at the school earlier that morning, but was unaccounted for by the end of classes.
Alarmed, Rehnuma, along with her husband Mohammad Safwan and other family members, rushed to the school. According to the complaint she later filed at Shahpur police station, Rehnuma sought help from Vice-Principal Colinben Suresh Kumar Rathore but was allegedly verbally abused and forced out of the office. When her husband and relatives asked to see CCTV footage to help locate the child, they were reportedly denied access.
Soon after, Abdul Ahad was found within the school premises. Police were called to the scene, and Rehnuma lodged a formal complaint accusing the vice-principal of negligence and misbehaviour. Her husband and other relatives supported the complaint as witnesses.
However, the matter took a dramatic turn when Vice-Principal Rathore, 64, filed a counter-complaint from Rajasthan Hospital’s emergency ward in Shahibaug, where she was admitted after the altercation. In her complaint, Rathore alleged that Abdul Ahad’s uncle, identified as Gabbarbhai, entered her office, verbally abused her, and assaulted her with a wooden stick, resulting in injuries to her shoulder and head. She claimed she was trying to calm the family and reassure them that staff were actively searching for the missing child when the alleged assault occurred.
“Despite my efforts to explain that the situation was under control, I was attacked without warning,” Rathore said in her statement.
Both complaints have been registered at Shahpur police station. According to the media, Inspector P. B. Khambhala, FIRs have been filed under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, including those related to assault, abuse, and criminal intimidation.
“We are examining CCTV footage from the school and recording statements of eyewitnesses to establish the facts,” Khambhala said. “Further action will be taken based on the evidence.”
No arrests have been made so far. The investigation is currently ongoing.