The footage from a Panchkula school is difficult to process. A six-year-old girl lies injured in her own classroom. An eight-year-old boy from the same school is alleged to have assaulted her. The girl is under care at PGI Chandigarh. The boy is in an observation home for psychological evaluation.
For the six-year-old, school was a place of trust, of friends, colours and stories. That trust has been broken. At her age, she may not have words for fear or pain. She may feel confused about why a familiar place became unsafe. She may fear returning to a classroom. She may cling more to parents or become quiet. Her healing will need more than medical treatment. It will need time, reassurance and safety restored slowly.
For the eight-year-old, the situation is also painful. At eight, a child often does not fully understand the consequence of his actions. He may feel anger, confusion, guilt or fear without knowing how to express it.
An eight-year-old does not become violent overnight. Children learn what they see. If they see violence at home, in the neighbourhood, or for hours on a mobile screen where beating gives points, they start to think it is normal. Children absorb how anger is shown and repeat it when they have no other way to handle big emotions. When content shows violence with rewards and no real pain, the line between play and reality blurs.
This is why the Juvenile Justice Board has ordered a psychological evaluation. The aim is not to label the boy. The aim is to understand what he has been carrying and what support he needs.
The school has clear responsibility. Two small children were alone on the first floor during school hours. CCTV was recording but not watched live. The girl was found only when her auto driver could not find her and her family searched the campus. A camera can record. Only an adult can protect.
The administration response was swift. Two teachers were suspended. An FIR was filed against the principal and staff. An inquiry committee was formed. A mandatory safety SOP was announced for all schools in the district.
If a school in Panchkula with CCTV feed in the principal’s office could fail, schools in Meghalaya with no live monitoring and no attendant till the last child leaves are even more vulnerable. Shillong saw a similar breach of trust this February in a private school washroom case, now under POCSO trial.
Responsibility is wider than one building. Families teach how to manage anger. Communities shape what is seen as normal. Schools are measured for marks, not for safety or emotional wellbeing. Many have no counsellor, no trained attendant, no working safety protocol.
What is needed is a calm and caring system. No classroom with children should be without an adult. Small children need separate floors with dedicated attendants. CCTV must be monitored live. Dispersal must ensure every child is accounted for. Parents need support to talk about emotions and to guide what children watch.
At the centre are two children who both need protection and understanding. Safety in schools is not an extra feature. It is the foundation of learning itself.
