A minor accused of carrying out an attack at a school hostel in Ballari, in which one student was killed and eight others were injured, has reportedly told counsellors that he had been repeatedly bullied by fellow students, police said.
The violence took place inside the hostel dormitory between 10.30 pm and 11 pm on March 7 when the Class 9 student allegedly used an iron rod taken from a hostel bed to attack fellow students, police said, adding that he was taken into custody on Monday and sent to a juvenile home.
Ballari deputy superintendent of police Govindraj said the boy described ongoing harassment at the hostel of Gurukul International School, where the incident occurred. “During counselling, the boy reportedly told the investigation team about this. He was the only student from Karnataka in the hostel,” he said.
According to the officer, the boy told investigators that he was frequently mocked and excluded by other students. “He said they repeatedly harassed him and did not treat him well. During cricket games, they allegedly would not allow him to play properly. He said they would tell him not to play with them and warn that if he wanted to join the game, he had to listen to whatever they said,” Govindraj said.
DySP Govindraj said the harassment allegedly continued even when the boy was occasionally allowed to join games. “During cricket games, they would sometimes include him in the game but continued to insult and provoke him. At one point, when they were discussing that they should rag him, the boy overheard their conversation,” the officer said.
{{/usCountry}}DySP Govindraj said the harassment allegedly continued even when the boy was occasionally allowed to join games. “During cricket games, they would sometimes include him in the game but continued to insult and provoke him. At one point, when they were discussing that they should rag him, the boy overheard their conversation,” the officer said.
{{/usCountry}}“This made him very angry. Such harassment had happened several times earlier as well. As a result, the boy has said he became enraged and attacked the other boys with an iron rod,” he added.
Ballari superintendent of police Suman D Pannaker had said the boy struck several students during the episode. “The student struck one boy forcefully with an iron rod, leading to his death. He also assaulted the hostel warden during the incident. After carrying out the attack, the accused student fled from the spot,” she said.
Eight people, including the hostel warden, were injured in the attack and taken to hospital. Police said the student also assaulted a driver who tried to intervene. Two people, including a minor student and the hostel warden, remain under treatment while five others have been discharged, police said.
Mental health experts said the episode highlights the impact of isolation and repeated humiliation among children. Consultant psychiatrist Raghavendra Wagole said loneliness can have severe psychological effects. “Loneliness hurts because human beings are biologically hardwired for social connection to survive, causing the brain to interpret social isolation as a physical threat. This triggers the same neural pain pathways as physical injury, releasing stress hormones like cortisol that lead to inflammation, cardiovascular issues and a ‘danger’ response in the body, leading to depression, anxiety and feelings of emptiness,” he added.
He said repeated humiliation or fear of being scolded can intensify anger.
“When someone is frightened or scolded by others to their parents, whether they are adults or children, it is natural for anger to arise. When a person repeatedly feels the pain of loneliness, such situations can occur. In some cases, it may even lead to suicide, and sometimes anger itself leads to more anger and violent reactions,” he said.
HT reached out to Gurukul International School’s chairman for a comment but could not get a response till the time of going to print.