Haryana Boy, 8, Who Assaulted Girl, 6, In School Released From Juvenile Custody

An eight-year-old Class 3 boy who assaulted a kindergarten girl with stones and a flower pot inside a school classroom in Haryana's Panchkula has been released from juvenile custody.

During the hearing, the defense argued that the child has no prior criminal record and that continued stay in an observation home could adversely affect his education and psychological development. The accused's parents also assured the Board that they would ensure proper counselling, behavioural correction, and rehabilitation of the child, officials said.

The Juvenile Justice Board of Panchkula, while releasing the student, also directed that all material, including videos and photographs revealing the identity of the accused child, must be removed from all social media and other public platforms. 

The board also asked the investigating officer to submit a compliance report by November 27.

The accused boy's father had filed an application under Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, seeking the removal of all videos, photographs, and materials being circulated on social media and other public platforms that directly or indirectly disclose the identity of the child. The application also sought directions for the school principal and other concerned school authorities to prevent any further sharing, publication, or circulation of material related to the case on social media.

The incident took place on October 28 at the Sanskriti Model School, with a disturbing video showing the eight-year-old boy dragging the kindergartener inside a classroom and banging her head on the desk twice before throwing her on the ground and kicking her. He then repeatedly attacked the six-year-old girl with stones and a flower pot. The girl subsequently lost consciousness and lay in a pool of blood.

The boy, however, did not stop and continued to drag the victim and kick her.

After nearly one and a half minutes, the boy left the classroom.

When the girl's parents arrived to pick her up from the school, the accused boy reportedly took them to her and told them, "Aapki bacchi yaha padi hai (Your daughter is lying here)."

They then rushed the girl to a nearby Civil Hospital in Sector 6, where she received initial treatment. However, due to the critical nature of her injuries, she was referred to the PGI Chandigarh, where she is reported to be in a serious condition.

The girl was discharged on Wednesday.

'He played PUBG'

The victim's uncle alleged that the boy had a habit of playing violent games.

"The child (who committed the attack)...it turned out he played certain types of games...aggressive games...he played PUBG, and now his father has also confirmed that he used to play PUBG and other such games, which led to these actions," Fazil said.

(With inputs from Umang Sheoran)