A Class IX student attacked several fellow students at a private residential school in Karnataka’s Ballari on Saturday evening, killing a boy and injuring several others, police said.
News agency PTI reported that the incident occurred inside the school hostel where a group of students had gone to sleep after dinner.
The accused student reportedly used an iron rod and a sharp object to assault his hostel mates before immediately fleeing the scene, but officials said they were investigating the weapon used in the assault and the motive behind the act.
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One of the students, a native of Andhra Pradesh, died after sustaining serious injuries and was taken to Vijayanagar Institute of Medical Sciences in Ballari for autopsy.
Police said nine students were in the hostel under the supervision of a social sciences teacher who was also working as hostel warden at the time of the incident.
“He attacked everyone randomly, in a fit of rage.”
Ballari District Inspector General of Police, B S Harsha, said the student appeared to attack others randomly “in a fit of rage”, leaving several students injured.
“Nine students were under the supervision of the social sciences teacher (who is also the hostel guard) on Saturday night. The student (accused), in a fit of rage, attacked everyone indiscriminately… Unfortunately, one student died and seven others are undergoing treatment,” Harsha was quoted as saying by PTI.
The report, citing sources, stated that the warden was also injured while trying to intervene and stop the attack.
The police launched a detailed investigation into the circumstances that led to the attack. The teacher’s statements were recorded, and teams from the Crime Scene Bureau and the Forensic Science Laboratory visited the hostel to inspect the site and collect evidence.
The police said that the case will be handled under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act because the accused is a minor, which requires the investigation to be conducted with specific legal safeguards.
Meanwhile, police from Prospet police station registered a case and launched a search for the accused student, who fled the hostel after the incident.
(With inputs from PTI)
