A minor accused of carrying out an attack on a school hostel in Ballari, in which a student was killed and eight others injured, has told counselors that he was repeatedly bullied by fellow students, police said.
The violence took place inside the hostel between 10.30pm and 11pm on March 7 when the Class IX student used an iron rod taken from the hostel bed to attack his fellow students, police said, adding that he was detained on Monday and sent to a juvenile home.
Ballari Deputy Superintendent of Police Govindraj said the boy described constant harassment at the Gurukul International School hostel, where the incident took place. “During counselling, the boy informed the investigation team about this. He was the only student from Karnataka in the hostel,” he added.
According to the officer, the boy told investigators that he was often ridiculed and excluded by other students. “He said they repeatedly harassed him and did not treat him well. During cricket matches, they allegedly did not let him play properly. He said they would ask him not to play with them and warn him that if he wanted to join the game, he should listen to everything they said,” Govindraj said.
DySP Govindraj said the harassment continued even when the boy was sometimes allowed to join the games. “During cricket matches, they would sometimes involve him in the game, but they kept insulting and provoking him. At some point, when they were discussing that they should beat him, the boy overheard their conversation,” the officer said.
“This made him very angry. Such harassment had happened several times earlier. As a result, the boy said he got angry and attacked the other boys with an iron rod,” he added.
Ballari Superintendent of Police, Suman D Panaker, said the boy beat up several students during the incident. She added: “The student forcibly beat one of the students with an iron rod, which led to his death. He also assaulted the hostel guard during the incident. After carrying out the attack, the accused student fled the place.”
Eight people, including the hostel manager, were injured in the attack and were taken to hospital. Police said the student also assaulted a driver who tried to intervene. Two people, including a minor student and the hostel supervisor, are still undergoing treatment while five others have been discharged from the hospital, police said.
Mental health experts said this incident highlights the impact of isolation and repeated humiliation among children. Consultant psychiatrist Raghavendra Waghul said that loneliness can have severe psychological effects. He added: “Loneliness is painful because humans are biologically programmed to socialize to survive, which causes the brain to interpret social isolation as a physical threat. This triggers the same neuropathic pain pathways as physical injury, and the release of stress hormones such as cortisol that leads to inflammation, cardiovascular problems and the body’s ‘danger’ response, leading to depression, anxiety and feelings of emptiness.”
Repeated humiliation or fear of reprimand can exacerbate anger, he said.
He said: “When someone is afraid or scolded by others for 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, this may even lead to suicide, and sometimes the anger itself leads to more anger and violent reactions.”
HT reached out to the head of Gurukul International School for a comment, but was unable to get a response till press time.
