Week after Panchkula school horror | Girl discharged from PGIMER, juvenile board grants bail to boy

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage of the incident that took place on October 28 had purportedly shown the boy repeatedly banging the girl’s head against a table

Nearly a week after she was allegedly brutally assaulted by an eight-year-old boy at a government school in Panchkula, the six-year-old victim was discharged from the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Juvenile Justice Board, Panchkula, granted bail to the boy, who had been sent to an observation home.

While granting bail to the boy, the juvenile board directed the police to take necessary action against social media posts allegedly disclosing his identity. (HT File)

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage of the incident that took place on October 28 had purportedly shown the boy repeatedly banging the girl’s head against a table, hurling a brick at her eight to nine times and kicking her.

The girl sustained multiple superficial injuries to her face and head and was kept under observation at PGIMER. A hospital official, requesting anonymity, said, “All her injuries are superficial. Hopefully, the child will heal completely within two weeks. She has been called for a follow-up after two weeks.”

The official added, “Initially, swelling and bruising had left her unable to open her eyes. Doctors conducted tests to assess possible impairment of eyesight and performed a CT scan to rule out internal head injuries. The examinations found no internal damage or bone fractures.”

Dr JK Mahajan, head of the department of paediatric surgery, said, “Treating a young child following such an incident required clinical expertise as well as sensitivity, patience and compassion.” He added that coordinated efforts by various departments ensured that she received the best care.

Police told to remove online posts revealing boy’s identity

While granting bail to the boy, the juvenile board directed the police to take necessary action against social media posts allegedly disclosing his identity and submit a report within 15 days.

The boy, a Class 3 student and classified as a child in conflict with law, was produced before the board around noon on Wednesday. His counsel, advocate Manbir Singh Rathi, said the board granted bail after considering an undertaking submitted by the family and a psychological evaluation report prepared at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh.

During the hearing, the defence argued that the child had no previous criminal record and that his continued stay at the observation home could adversely affect his education, academic progress and overall development.

In its undertaking, the boy’s family assured the board that it would arrange appropriate counselling, guidance, behavioural support and rehabilitation measures as advised by the competent authorities. It also undertook to provide the boy with a healthy and disciplined environment, along with moral guidance, to help him understand the consequences of his actions and reform his behaviour.

Boy to stay away from school, take private tuitions

Speaking about the child’s behavioural concerns, Rathi said the family had informed the board that he watched violent games on mobile phones, which they believed might have contributed to increased aggression, hyperactivity and behavioural changes.

The family has decided to restrict his access to mobile phones. For the next few days, he will receive private tuition instead of attending school.

Earlier, the Panchkula police had recorded a daily diary report (DDR) against the child on October 31 under Sections 115(2)/117(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 127(2) (wrongful confinement) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Should assess underlying reasons behind boy’s behaviour: Experts

Child and adolescent mental health experts said there was a need to understand the underlying issues behind the boy’s behaviour.

Associate Professor at the department of psychiatry, PGIMER, Dr Nidhi Chauhan who specialises in child and adolescent psychiatry explained that it is unusual to see such aggression and violence in an eight-year-old child. “There have to be some reasons, either any mental health issue, neuro developmental disorder along with influence of the family/ peers/ school (environment) of the child. As seen in the video, the act seems to be deliberate and intentional and the circumstances leading to such violent outburst need to be ascertained so that these can be addressed,” she said.

Dr Chauhan further explained, “Any child’s behaviour has to do a lot with what is happening in his surroundings – whether elders are handling disagreements, calmly or otherwise. This behaviour could also be because of pent-up emotions, especially if the child is continuously receiving negative reactions from his immediate surroundings. If the child has been consuming violent, abusive content online or seeing it around, it contributes to how the child thinks and perceives situations and reactions around him.”

Dr Vibha Goyal, psychiatry consultant at Livasa Hospital said an incident of this nature is deeply concerning and needs to be examined. At eight years of age, a child is still developing emotional regulation, impulse control, empathy and an understanding of consequences. “We need to understand what may have contributed to this behaviour. Possibilities include underlying behavioural or emotional difficulties, poor impulse regulation, exposure to violence, adverse childhood experiences, family environment, bullying or other psychosocial stressors.” “Neurodevelopmental conditions and conduct-related symptoms may also need to be explored. It is equally important not to prematurely label the child with a psychiatric diagnosis based on a single incident,” said Dr Goyal.