Panchkula school: girl, 6, critical at PGIMER after alleged assault by boy, 8

The father's complaint says the boy lured the girl to an empty classroom on the first floor, where he slammed her head against a bench, kicked her repeatedly and struck her head and face several times with a brick. One report says he struck her at least 12 times on the head and face, and that he kept attacking her after she lost consciousness. A purported video circulating on social media reportedly shows the boy grabbing the girl by her hair and hitting her head against a desk. The authenticity of the video has not been verified in the reports, though one report says that CCTV captured the assault.

How it was discovered

The reports differ on how the incident came to light. One says that school staff did not know of the attack and that the girl was found in the classroom only after the auto-rickshaw driver who came to collect her raised the alarm. Another says that when the girl did not come home after school, the driver alerted her father, and that the boy told the father, on his arrival at the school, that the girl was lying injured on the first floor. The family then took her to a hospital, from where she was referred to PGIMER.

She was referred to PGIMER in Chandigarh, where she is being treated for critical injuries. The reports found do not give more details of her medical condition or the treatment.

DCP (Crime) Amrinder Singh confirmed the ages of both children. He said the boy is undergoing a medical assessment to determine the exact motive and that further action will depend on the report of the assessment. One report notes that such assessments are carried out for children aged seven to 12. ACP Vikram Nehra said the boy was undergoing the assessment. Police have recorded the father's statement and have questioned the other child and his family. They are also questioning the school authorities and the boy's parents as part of the investigation.

The reports found do not give the FIR number or the charges, and they do not say who filed the complaint beyond the girl's father. They do not mention any juvenile justice proceedings or the legal provisions that apply to a child under 12. They also do not report any formal action by the school, such as suspension or a safety review, any statement by the school, or any statement from the girl's family beyond the complaint.

Some details differ between the reports, including whether the object used was a brick or a stone, and whether the school is private or government-run, so these should be treated as unconfirmed until police release a full account.