Click to play videoNew Delhi: On Tuesday, a Class 8 student, Abhishek Tyagi was shot dead by his classmates in the school corridor — the Euro International School in Gurgaon on the outskirts of Delhi.
Abhishek's classmates — accused of shooting him dead — have been arrested and sent to 14-days judicial remand by a local court.
Both their parents are absconding and have not been traced by the police yet.
Gurgaon Chief Judicial Magistrate Arun Kumar Singhal sent the two accused — sons of property dealers — to a juvenile home in Sonepat, Haryana.
"One of the boys had used his father's licensed revolver and allegedly fired four shots at Abhishek near a staircase in the school. He had then handed the gun to the other accused who fired another bullet," Gurgaon Police Commissioner Mohinder Lal was quoted by agencies, as saying.
Abhishek's death — which has the unfortunate distinction of being the first school shooting in India — is now sparking a crucial debate. Are gun-toting 14-year-olds, pulling the trigger to resolve petty issues, the creations of callous parents and careless teachers?
What is driving these children towards such madness?
The victim's grandfather, Om Prakash Tyagi says the family had no clue that the boy was being victimised. "We didn't know anything was going on. No one told us anything," says he.
Meanwhile, the two accused have allegedly told the police that they were bullied by Abhishek and had even complained to the principal, but that no action had been taken against Abhishek and so they took the matter in their own hands.
But the question is: Was the bullying so extreme that it had to be countered with bullets? And how did the alleged killer manage to get his hands on his father's revolver?
Springdales School Principal, Amita Mulla Wattal says, "In the end, it is not Abhishek, but all three boys who have become the victims of this callousness and carelessness displayed by the elders around them."
The school knew there some problem but couldn't perceive the seriousness. The school authorities however say that they cannot be blamed because the issues between the three boys were minor.
"There were no big problems. Something like this is unimaginable. What can we say?" says Chairman Euro International School, Satyavir Yadav.
The two accused are now in judicial custody for 14 days and have been sent to a juvenile home in Sonepat.
As the courts now decide their fate, the society must also simultaneously ask itself some tough questions and parents, teachers and children have to work in tandem to find a solution to this problem.
(With inputs from Raheel Khursheed and Divya Iyer in Gurgaon)
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