A Class 9 student allegedly went on a rampage at a private residential school hostel on Talur Road in Ballari district late on Saturday night, killing a classmate and injuring seven others, including a girl student and the hostel warden.
The incident occurred at the Gurukul Hostel, attached to the Gurukul International School. According to the police, the accused allegedly attacked his classmates with an iron rod following a minor dispute after dinner. The attack occurred while the victims were reportedly asleep.
The deceased student is a native of Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh.
The injured students and hostel warden were taken to the Ballari Medical College and Research Centre hospital in Ballari. The hostel warden, identified as Blessy, also sustained injuries when she attempted to intervene.
Among the injured, one student sustained serious injuries and is currently undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit at the hospital. Of the remaining six injured, four were discharged after receiving treatment for minor injuries.
While the school management has termed the incident an assault with an iron rod, the victim’s family has raised several questions regarding the incident.
Lakshmikant, father of the deceased boy, alleged in his complaint that his son was stabbed with a knife and that the attack was intentional.
The victim’s parents have also held the school administration accountable for the security lapse. “How could a minor carry out such a brutal assault inside a monitored hostel premises?” the victim’s father questioned and demanded stringent legal action against both the accused minor and the hostel’s administrative officer for negligence.
According to Education Department officials, the school had not obtained permission to run a hostel. There was no male warden appointed for the boys’ hostel, and the CCTV cameras on the premises were not functioning.
Officials said that around eight students and a female warden were staying in the hostel. The seven boys were accommodated on the ground floor, while the one girl student and the hostel warden were residing on the first floor.
The Brucepet Police have registered a case based on a complaint by the father of the deceased.
Ballari Superintendent of Police Suman D. Pennekar said that a preliminary investigation was under way to determine the exact motive and the nature of the weapon used. A search operation has been launched to apprehend the accused student, who fled the spot immediately after the incident.
The Ballari Police have formed seven special teams under the supervision of two sub-inspectors and five iInspectors to trace the accused student.
Inspector-General of Police, Ballari Range, P.S. Harsha, speaking to the media, stated that the police team, including the Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO) and the Forensic Science Laboratory team, conducted a detailed examination of the hostel where the incident occurred.
Dr. Harsha confirmed that the police had recorded a formal statement from the hostel warden, Ms. Blessy, who was among those injured in the Saturday night rampage and promised a thorough probe into the alleged security lapses and the sequence of events at the Gurukul Hostel.
“Given that both the accused and the victims are minors, we are maintaining the utmost sensitivity in this case,” the officer noted.
