Patna: Students carrying ‘deshi kutta’ (locally made pistols) in government-run schools have posed a serious challenge to the Bihar state police. The latest incident of this sort came to light in a government-run school in the state’s Begusarai district.
On Wednesday, a class 9 student reached the school with a country-made weapon, causing panic among fellow students.
The 15-year-old carrying an illegal weapon was seen issuing threats to some fellow students, who immediately informed the teachers and principal, who took action and snatched the pistol from the student. He was later taken to the principal’s office and detained.
A student later complained to the principal that the 9th-class student was heard telling fellow students that nobody could stop him from doing what he intended to do on the premises of the school.
“He had no fear of law at all,” the student complained to the principal.
A police team from Chhaurahi police station visited Matihani plus two government high school to inquire into the matter. By the time police reached the school, several residents from the student’s native village had gathered on the school premises to take the student home.
Acting station house officer (SHO) of Chhaurahi police station Sumit Shekhar said that the student was being questioned for carrying illegal weapons in his school.
“Carrying weapons in schools is banned as students may get frightened,” he said.
Referring to the incident, Shekhar (a probationer DSP) said, “The motive behind taking illegal weapons in school is yet to be ascertained. The boy is being questioned for the purpose.”
The principal of the school, however, was not available for his comments. Sources said that the student charged with carrying the illegal weapon is a resident of Bakhada village under Sawant panchayat in Begusarai district.
This is not an isolated incident. Earlier, a class 9 student at an upgraded government high school at Balua Bazar in East Champaran district had reached his school with a weapon to intimidate his classmates.
Last month, a five-year-old boy brought a gun in his school bag and shot his schoolmate studying in class 3 in Supaul district. The 10-year-old victim was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment and the principal was taken into custody for negligence.
A police officer, however, blamed the use of mobile phones by minor children for such crimes.
“Children are getting addicted to mobile phones, and they learn such things from them,” the officer said, issuing an advisory to parents to keep a tab on the activities of their children at home.