TIRUNELVELI: A Class 8 student of a private school at Palayamkottai in Tirunelveli district suffered injuries to his hand, head and shoulder after one of his classmates attacked him with a sickle following a tiff over sharing a pencil, police said.
The boys had quarrelled last month and were not on talking terms. The juvenile had brought the weapon by hiding it in his schoolbag, sources said. A woman teacher who tried to intervene also sustained minor injuries.
The boy suffered “minor cut injuries in two or three places” and his condition is “normal,” a senior police official said. The teacher and the boy are receiving treatment at a private hospital and they are out of danger, sources said. A case was registered, and the attacker (aged 13 to 14) was produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and sent to an observation home, police said.
Palayamkottai assistant commissioner of police N Suresh told reporters that the boys were friends and sat on the same bench in the classroom. A month ago, a verbal fight broke between them over sharing a pencil, and they stopped talking to each other, he said.
Student’s kin drop plan for stir as officials assure action
Senior police, revenue and education officials, including Chief Education Officer M Sivakumar, visited the school and held inquiries. The district Child Protection Unit is also probing the issue. Henceforth, students will be allowed to enter schools only after checking of bags, Sivakumar said.
The news of the attack triggered panic among parents who rushed to the school to know about the safety of their children. Some parents even took their wards back home.
The affected student’s relatives thronged the hospital and attempted to stage a protest on Palayamkottai-Thiruchendur road, but dropped the plan after officials promised action.
Speaking to reporters, the affected student’s father demanded a thorough police investigation and said his son could not have been attacked just for a pencil. He faulted the school administration for failing to monitor students properly. The school administration, however, has assured to provide all help for the treatment, he said.
Regarding the incident, School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi told reporters in Chennai that the department is introducing various extracurricular activities to help reduce students’ stress levels. He added that new initiatives, particularly targeting southern districts, can be expected in the upcoming school education department’s demand for grants in the Assembly.