Panchkula horror: Class 3 boy attacks minor

A serious and brutal attack took place at Government Sanskriti Model School in Sector 20, Panchkula, when an eight-year-old Class 3rd boy repeatedly assaulted a six-year-old kindergarten girl with special needs.

The boy is said to have lured her to an empty first-floor classroom by falsely telling her that her father had come for her. Once they were alone, he began the assault.

He hit her several times with stones and a brick, then used a flowerpot to strike her head. He pulled her by the hair, hit her head against a desk more than once, threw her to the floor, and continued to kick, drag, and beat her even after she lost consciousness and was bleeding.

CCTV footage showed the older child continuing to attack the girl after she was motionless.

The girl was eventually found unconscious. She was taken to different facilities before being rushed to PGIMER Chandigarh in critical condition, with head wounds that needed stitches and a nasal fracture.

Although she was later reported to be out of immediate danger, she remained deeply traumatised. The reason for the attack is not clear; some reports mention an earlier argument when classes were combined because of staff shortages.

Officers from the Sector 20 police station collected CCTV footage, spoke with school staff and the boy’s parents, and began the legal process suitable for someone his age. Taking cognisance of the grave incident, the Haryana Education Minister has formed a high-level inquiry committee. The State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights has also pointed out security lapses, including unattended CCTV and a lack of supervision.

The family accuses the school of negligence and delays in getting treatment, and is calling for accountability. It’s a very serious case of violence between two young children at school, and it’s a case that points to several major failings that allowed the attack to happen. The investigation is still going on.