Facing mounting questions over the safety of children in government schools following the brutal assault on a six-year-old girl at a Panchkula school, the Haryana Government on Sunday suspended the school principal, Neelu, with immediate effect.
What Happened Inside The School?
The incident left the six-year-old seriously injured and triggered widespread outrage after CCTV footage of the assault surfaced. The assault was captured on CCTV cameras installed inside the school. Neelu was serving as the principal of Shaheed Major Anuj Rajput Government Model Sanskriti Senior Secondary School in Sector 20, Panchkula, where a Class III student allegedly assaulted a kindergarten girl inside the school premises on October 28. The incident took place on October 28 when an eight-year-old Class III student allegedly took the six-year-old KG student to a classroom and attacked her.
The girl was repeatedly hit with a brick and other objects, dragged and kicked before being left unconscious, according to reports.
The action followed preliminary findings pointing towards alleged lapses in supervision and the school’s responsibility for ensuring children’s safety. Preliminary investigation has pointed to negligence on the part of the school management. Earlier reporting noted: Case Against School After Boy, 8, Assaults 6-Year-Old Girl In Haryana Case Against School After Boy, 8, Assaults 6-Year-Old Girl In Haryana Case Against School After Boy, 8, Assaults 6-Year-Old Girl In Haryana Earlier reporting noted: Preliminary investigation has pointed to negligence on the part of the school management. Earlier reporting noted: A case has been registered against the management of the school in Panchkula, in connection with an alleged assault on a six-year-old girl student by a Class 3 student on the school premises.
Police said the investigation has also raised concerns regarding security arrangements and supervision of students inside the school.
Earlier, the Education Department had suspended two Junior Basic Training (JBT) teachers, identified as Simranjeet Kaur and Pooja Rani, in connection with the incident.
Signed by Vijay Singh Dahiya, Principal Secretary to the Haryana Government, the order also directed that the principal’s headquarters during the suspension period would be the office of the District Education Officer, Ambala. She will not be allowed to leave the headquarters without permission from the competent authority. The development comes amid a widening investigation into alleged negligence by the school administration. Panchkula Police have registered an FIR against the principal, the class in-charge and a school chowkidar under relevant provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The suspension order was issued by the Secondary Education Department under Rule 5 of the Haryana Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 2016.
