MEERUT: A 15-year-old boy studying in Class 10 was allegedly assaulted inside his school van by armed assailants while he was returning from a board exam on the Meerut-Hapur highway near Hajipur village, under the jurisdiction of Lohianagar police station. Other students were also held at gunpoint.The incident took place on Wednesday afternoon. A senior police officer said the assault stemmed from a dispute between students dating back six months, triggered by a comment purportedly made during a mobile chat. The matter had earlier been taken to the police station, where a compromise was reached.As per the complaint, the boy, a resident of Hapur, was heading home after appearing for his board exam at a school centre in Shastri Nagar when the van, carrying him and around 30 other students, was intercepted by three to five assailants riding motorcycles.The attackers allegedly blocked the van, pointed a gun at the driver to force it to stop, and boarded the vehicle. They held the students at gunpoint, attempted to drag the boy out and assaulted him, allegedly with an intent to kill. The accused then fled the spot, allegedly threatening to kill the boy before his next exam. The student sustained injuries to his head and back and remains hospitalised.“I was on a phone call with my son when the attack happened. I heard his screams for help but could do nothing,” said the boy’s father, Yogesh Tyagi, a local farmer.A video of the incident, secretly recorded by another student inside the van, shows the attackers repeatedly punching and kicking the boy in his back and abdomen.Based on a complaint, police registered an FIR under BNS Sections 109 (attempt to murder), 191 (rioting), 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 351 (criminal intimidation) against two named accused and unidentified others. One of the accused is the victim’s classmate. Efforts are on to arrest them and ascertain the motive behind the attack, City SP Ayush Vikram Singh said.
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