An eight-year-old boy accused of assaulting a kindergarten girl at a Panchkula school has been sent to an observation home in Ambala after undergoing a psychological evaluation at Government Medical College and Hospital in Chandigarh’s Sector 32, police said on Monday.
The development came as the education department suspended the school principal and two teachers. Police have also registered a first information report against the school management under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act and Section 125B of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to rash or negligent acts that endanger human life and result in grievous hurt.
The boy was taken to GMCH-32 for psychological assessment before being sent back to the Ambala facility. Deputy Commissioner of Police Aditi Singh told The Times of India that further action would be initiated after the hospital submitted its report. Police were expecting the report on Tuesday.
Police had earlier said that a brain-mapping test would be conducted at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh on Monday. The test, however, was not conducted, according to the report.
The case has brought the functioning of school safety systems and the responsibilities of school management under scrutiny after the alleged assault on the kindergarten student. The police case names the school management, while the education department’s suspension of the principal and two teachers represents separate administrative action.
Officials said the girl was recovering at PGIMER-Chandigarh. Her father told The Times of India that the family hoped the authorities would provide suitable compensation to protect her health, education and future.
The immediate next step is the submission of the GMCH-32 psychological evaluation report, after which police said further action would be taken. The juvenile remains at the Ambala observation home pending the next stage of the proceedings.
