Fatehpur: A Class 12 student who led a protest demanding better infrastructure at a government school in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur district has alleged that police harassed him and several other students by visiting their homes after the demonstration. Police have denied the allegations, insisting the visits were part of a routine inquiry.

Ankur Sonkar, who emerged as the face of the protest at Sarvodaya Inter College in Kishanpur, said policemen in plain clothes visited his residence and the homes of other students following the July 28 agitation.

Hundreds of students from Classes 6 to 12 had staged a nearly five-hour protest demanding essential facilities, including safe drinking water, electricity, working fans, clean toilets, adequate furniture, a library, a computer laboratory and sports infrastructure.

The demonstration ended after district authorities assured the students that work to address the pending issues would begin within 24 hours.

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Recalling the events after the protest, Sonkar said, "After we protested for hours, officials came, accepted our demands and work started at the school. We felt we won our fight. But by evening, police personnel in civil dress started coming to our house. They asked my parents where I was and said we would have to come to the police station."

He further alleged that similar visits were made to the homes of other students who had taken part in the protest.

"If we raise our voice for basic facilities, should police act like this?" he asked.

However, Fatehpur Superintendent of Police Abhimanyu Mangalik rejected the allegations, saying officers from the Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) and the Child Welfare Police Officer had only visited Sonkar's residence to understand the concerns raised during the protest and gather information about the school.

"There was no ulterior motive behind the visit. Neither the student nor his family was harassed in any manner," he said.

Mangalik added that Sonkar is a juvenile and that the officials visited his home in plain clothes in accordance with child protection guidelines and court directions. He maintained that neither the student nor his family faced any harassment or intimidation.

District Magistrate Nidhi Gupta Vats said the students' demands were legitimate and confirmed that the administration had already started addressing the infrastructure issues at the school.

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Responding to allegations about police visits to students' homes, she said the exercise was intended only to maintain law and order and prevent anti-social elements from exploiting the protest.

Meanwhile, police clarified that the disappearance of a 16-year-old girl from the same school was unrelated to the students' agitation.

According to her family, the girl left home for school on July 28 but did not return. A missing-person complaint was lodged at Kishanpur police station the following day. Her mother, Asha Devi, said classmates and teachers confirmed that the girl had attended school on the day of the protest.

Mangalik said CCTV footage showed the girl carrying a bag containing clothes. The footage allegedly captured her changing out of her school uniform before leaving with another individual.

Police have examined the mobile phones of the girl and her family, with the preliminary investigation indicating that she had been in contact with someone before her disappearance. Teams have been dispatched to Maharashtra and other locations as part of efforts to trace her.

Station House Officer Manish Kumar Singh said the investigation so far suggested that the girl reached the school but left after the protest with another girl. (PTI)