Chandigarh: Taking serious cognisance of the alleged assault on a six-year-old girl by a schoolmate at Government Model Sanskriti Senior Secondary School in Sector 20, Panchkula, the Haryana Human Rights Commission has called for a comprehensive review of child-safety arrangements in schools across the state.
The Commission has urged the State Government to consider conducting a time-bound safety audit of all schools in Haryana and prepare a concrete action plan to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
Following the incident, Commission Chairperson Justice Lalit Batra, accompanied by Assistant Registrar Puneet Arora, visited the school on October 31 to inspect the existing safety arrangements and mechanisms for supervising children. During the visit, various aspects of school safety and student supervision were examined.
After the inspection, Justice Lalit Batra told the media that the Commission would conduct a detailed examination of the circumstances surrounding the incident, including possible shortcomings in the school’s safety and monitoring arrangements, and recommend necessary improvements.
In an order dated November 13, 2026, passed in Suo Motu Case No. 3555/7/14/2026, the Commission observed that ensuring the safety of every child within school premises is a fundamental responsibility of the concerned educational institution and the administration.
It noted that the alleged assault on the six-year-old girl was not merely a case of negligence at an individual school but also raised several serious concerns regarding the supervision of children, availability of teachers, classroom arrangements, monitoring of CCTV cameras and emergency response mechanisms.
The incident occurred on October 28, following which the girl sustained multiple serious injuries. After being referred from Civil Hospital, Sector-6, Panchkula, she was shifted to PGIMER, Chandigarh, for further treatment. On November 1, her condition had stabilised, and she was out of danger.
The Full Commission, comprising Chairperson Justice Lalit Batra, Member Kuldip Jain and Member Deep Bhatia, has stressed the need to examine the number of teachers and staff members deployed to supervise students when the incident occurred.
It has also sought clarity on whether children belonging to different age groups and classes were being taught together, how CCTV cameras were being monitored and why timely assistance could not be extended to the injured child.
The Commission observed that taking action against individual employees alone would not be sufficient to address the matter. It emphasised that identifying the systemic shortcomings and administrative deficiencies that may have contributed to the incident was equally important to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
Referring to the Haryana School Safety Regulations, 2017, and the Ministry of Education’s Guidelines on School Safety and Security, 2021, the Commission underlined the importance of establishing effective School Safety Committees, maintaining child protection documents, supervising students’ movement, ensuring emergency communication arrangements and preparing comprehensive crisis management plans.
It also highlighted the need for adequate supervision of children’s activities inside classrooms and throughout school premises, along with proper CCTV coverage at sensitive locations and regular monitoring of camera feeds to ensure that any untoward incident is detected and addressed promptly.
The Commission further clarified that compliance with the prescribed pupil-teacher ratio (PTR) of 30:1 under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, should not be interpreted to mean that a teacher can leave 30 children without supervision.
Similarly, the prescribed ratio does not automatically permit schools to combine another group of 30 students belonging to different classes in a single classroom.
It stressed that schools must ensure adequate staff availability and appropriate classroom arrangements according to the age and educational requirements of students.
The Commission has made it clear that the purpose of these recommendations is not restricted to strengthening surveillance and monitoring within school premises, but to establish a secure and supportive educational environment that facilitates the emotional, social and psychological development of children.
Among the key recommendations, the Commission has stressed the need to organise regular awareness programmes for parents focusing on positive parenting, children’s emotional development, non-violent disciplinary practices and the importance of understanding behavioural changes in children.
On CCTV surveillance, the Commission has called for strict enforcement of the provisions contained in the Haryana School Safety Regulations, 2017. It has recommended installing adequate cameras at crucial locations, including corridors, staircases and classroom entrances, to ensure effective monitoring of school premises.
The Commission observed that simply installing CCTV cameras would not serve the intended purpose unless their functioning was regularly checked and monitored.
It has also recommended the implementation of a uniform and comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) across all schools. The SOP should clearly define arrangements for classroom supervision, movement of students, deployment and duty allocation of teachers, prevention and reporting of bullying, emergency medical assistance, communication with parents, preservation of CCTV footage and reporting of serious incidents.
Considering the seriousness of the matter, the Haryana Human Rights Commission has also sought detailed reports from five senior authorities, namely the Principal Secretary of the School Education Department, Haryana; Commissioner of Police, Panchkula; Deputy Commissioner, Panchkula; Director, PGIMER, Chandigarh; and Director General of Health Services, Haryana, along with the Civil Surgeon, Panchkula.
The Commission has also made it clear that the identity and personal particulars of both children involved in the matter must remain strictly confidential in all reports, official records and subsequent proceedings, in accordance with applicable child protection and juvenile justice laws.
The Commission has scheduled the next hearing in the matter for January 28, 2027.
(IANS)
