School Students Assaulted In Gujarat Hostel, Videos Go Viral

Two students of a private school were allegedly brutally assaulted by their hostel mates in separate incidents in Gujarat's Junagadh city last month, sparking concerns of safety and well-being of students across educational institutes. 

The assaults come close on the heels of the murder of a student at a private Ahmedabad school that triggered massive protests. The latest incidents further raise concerns over the need to continuously scrutinise the behaviour of students on campuses. 

According to sources and parents of the victims, the incidents were not reported by either the students nor the hostel authorities but came to light only after purported videos of the assaults were widely circulated and surfaced on social media on September 2. 

The parents of the two victims alleged a cover-up by the school authorities even as the hostel management claimed they are yet to receive a complaint on the matter. Four students have so far been charged under the Juvenile Justice Act.

The incidents took place at the Alpha International School hostel. The immediate reason behind both the assaults could not be ascertained. 

A 38-second clip of one of the incidents showed two students thrashing a fellow student, who first struggles to save himself while laying on a bed, before he is picked up and pinned onto a cabinet and assaulted further. 

Two students present inside the room initially remain mute spectators but then try to defuse the tension as the matter escalates. Another student, who is not visible in the video, is heard urging one of the accused to not assault the victim. 

A 80-second clip of another incident shows another student getting thrashed in a similar manner in another room of the hostel. The victim tries to cover his head with his hands but two students manage to overpower him and thrash him. They slap and kick him continuously as a third accused helps them. 

The sources said both the incidents took place on the same day last month. Most of them are believed to be Class 12 students. 

The parents of both the victims have filed a police complaint. One of them said his son was traumatised by the incident but did not approach his family. He, instead, returned home on the pretext of feeling unwell, the parent said. 

"My son used to study here. A month ago, he was beaten up by five boys but neither did he nor did the hostel authorities inform me of the incident. I came here as soon as I found out. We demand strict action against the accused students," he said. 

G P Kathi, the hostel owner, said he wasn't aware of the assaults till the videos surfaced. "As soon as the videos surfaced, I told all the students to refrain from such acts. I also told the students to inform me about such incidents in the future. We are yet to receive any complaint from the parents." 

Superintendent of Police Subodh Odedara said a special committee has been formed to probe the assaults. "More such videos from the premises have surfaced. We have spoken to the collector and he has formed a committee to oversee the matter and submit a report. Action will then be taken accordingly," he said. 

(With inputs from Vijay Singh)