Panchkula school assault case: Two suspended, child rights panel seeks report

The Education Department of Haryana has suspended two Junior Basic Training (JBT) teachers with immediate effect in connection with the alleged assault on a six-year-old girl at a government school in Panchkula.

The suspended teachers have been identified as Simranjeet Kaur and Pooja Rani. Meanwhile, the Haryana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (HSCPCR) has taken suo motu cognisance of the incident involving the alleged assault on a kindergarten girl by a third-grade student inside the school premises.

The Commission has directed the District Education Officer, Panchkula, to submit a comprehensive, point-wise factual report detailing the action taken by the Education Department in the matter.

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The incident came to light after a six-year-old girl student was allegedly assaulted at a government school in Panchkula by a third-grade student. The family questioned the school's security arrangements, claiming the accused third-grade student himself led them to the injured, unconscious girl, and asked why no one noticed the alleged attack despite CCTV cameras monitored from the principal's office.

The family alleged that a third-grade student lured the girl to the first floor under the pretext that her father had called for her, and it was there that she was subjected to a brutal assault. They have also raised concerns regarding the school's CCTV surveillance.

The family alleged that the very same third-grade student accused of assaulting the girl was the one who led them to her, where she lay injured and unconscious inside the school premises.

Further, the family alleged that the girl was first struck with a stone and subsequently attacked with a flower pot. It is further alleged that the girl was dragged for a significant distance, leaving her severely injured and in an unconscious state.

Earlier, Deputy Commissioner of Police Aditi Singh said an FIR has been registered against the school management for alleged negligence. Police said a case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). (ANI)