Attempt to poison students a conspiracy against madarsa, says former VP’s wife Salma Ansari

Salma Ansari, the wife of former Vice President Hamid Ansari, said on Wednesday that a madarsa that she runs was the target of a conspiracy after two men tried to poison students by contaminating a water dispenser last week.

Ansari, the chairperson of Al Noor Charitable Society that runs the Chacha Nehru Madarsa, said the poisoning attempt was a “conspiracy” by people who wanted to defame the institution.

“The bags of students will now be checked to ensure that anti-social elements do not put something in their tiffin boxes that may prove fatal. Such things happen in Pakistan,” she said.

Refusing to demand a high-level probe, Ansari said the police were carrying out a proper investigation. “To bolster security, we will increase the height of the boundary wall and install 12 CCTV cameras in the madarsa,” she said.

On September 15, two men apparently were seen by a seventh grader pouring rat poison substance into a water cooler. As the child — Afzal — tried to raise an alarm, the suspects pointed a gun at him, he told officials.

Javed Khan, inspector of Civil Lines police station, told HT that traces of Mortein Rat Kill were found in the water tank, with a wrapper thrown near it.

Addressing media persons, Ansari said if someone was upset, he should have talked to her.

“What is the sense of harming the children? Had these people been successful in their plan, lives of 4,500 children would have been in danger,” she said, adding the madarsa would have been closed down.

“The madrasa has been running for 18 years. As many as 4,500 children study here. There is no discrimination and children of all religions are imparted education here,” Ansari said.

Hailing Afzal who foiled the “conspiracy”, she said he would be rewarded as he had saved hundreds of lives.