Panchkula, Oct 31 (IANS) In a horrific incident that has shocked people in the country, a six-year-old student was allegedly brutally assaulted by a Class 3 student at a government school in Haryana's Panchkula, officials said on Saturday.
The incident, that was captured on CCTVs present in the classroom where the deadly assault took place and went viral later, has raised serious concerns over the school's security arrangements.
The little girl's family has questioned how the alleged assault on her went unnoticed despite the presence of CCTV cameras in the classroom that were monitored from the principal's office.
The family has alleged that the accused student lured the girl to the first floor of the school by telling her that her father had called her. It was there that the girl was allegedly attacked and left severely injured and unconscious.
In a disturbing account of the incident, the family claimed that the same eight-year-old student accused of assaulting the girl later led them to the spot where she was lying unconscious inside the school premises.
The girl's uncle, Faisal, said that when the family reached the school and began searching for her, it was the accused boy who eventually took them to the place where she was lying.
"She went to school in the morning as usual. There were no issues or fights. When school got over, our hired auto driver went to pick her up, but she was not there. The school staff told him that the girl was missing. He returned home and informed my brother, who immediately went back to the school.
"When my brother reached there, he could not find her nearby. The boy who assaulted her told my brother that she was upstairs and lying there. When my brother went upstairs and saw her, he fainted. There was blood everywhere in the room, " Faisal told IANS.
Describing the severity of the alleged assault, he said the injuries inflicted on the girl were extremely disturbing and reflected the brutality of the attack.
"He has beaten her so mercilessly, not even an animal is treated with such cruelty, " he said.
Faisal also questioned the school's arrangements for monitoring students, alleging that inadequate staff deployment and the absence of the principal during the relevant period may have contributed to the incident.
"According to the teachers, some staff members had been assigned government duty elsewhere. As a result, two to three classes had been combined under one teacher. The principal's duty hours ended at 3 p.m., and the incident took place between 3 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. The CCTV cameras installed in the principal's room provide a view of who is moving where and how, " he said.
"However, nobody was present in that room because the principal had already left. Had someone been sitting in the office and noticed the boy taking the girl upstairs, perhaps this incident would not have happened, " the victim's uncle added.
The family further alleged that the girl was initially hit with a stone before being attacked with a flower pot and a brick.
According to the family's account, the girl was eventually found lying unconscious, with blood spread across the room.
The family has also raised concerns over the functioning of the CCTV cameras, particularly those installed in the principal's office, and questioned whether adequate monitoring arrangements were in place during school hours.
They have sought accountability from the school management over the security lapses and the assault.