In a horrific incident that has shocked people in the country, a six-year-old student was allegedly brutally assaulted by a Class 3 student at a government school in Haryana’s Panchkula, officials said on Saturday.

The incident, that was captured on CCTVs present in the classroom where the deadly assault took place and went viral later, has raised serious concerns over the school’s security arrangements.

The little girl’s family has questioned how the alleged assault on her went unnoticed despite the presence of CCTV cameras in the classroom that were monitored from the principal’s office.

The family has alleged that the accused student lured the girl to the first floor of the school by telling her that her father had called her. It was there that the girl was allegedly attacked and left severely injured and unconscious.

In a disturbing account of the incident, the family claimed that the same eight-year-old student accused of assaulting the girl later led them to the spot where she was lying unconscious inside the school premises.

The girl’s uncle, Faisal, said that when the family reached the school and began searching for her, it was the accused boy who eventually took them to the place where she was lying.

“She went to school in the morning as usual. There were no issues or fights. When school got over, our hired auto driver went to pick her up, but she was not there. The school staff told him that the girl was missing. He returned home and informed my brother, who immediately went back to the school.

“When my brother reached there, he could not find her nearby. The boy who assaulted her told my brother that she was upstairs and lying there. When my brother went upstairs and saw her, he fainted. There was blood everywhere in the room,” Faisal told media.

Describing the severity of the alleged assault, he said the injuries inflicted on the girl were extremely disturbing and reflected the brutality of the attack.

“He has beaten her so mercilessly, not even an animal is treated with such cruelty,” he said.

Faisal also questioned the school’s arrangements for monitoring students, alleging that inadequate staff deployment and the absence of the principal during the relevant period may have contributed to the incident.

“According to the teachers, some staff members had been assigned government duty elsewhere. As a result, two to three classes had been combined under one teacher. The principal’s duty hours ended at 3 p.m., and the incident took place between 3 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. The CCTV cameras installed in the principal’s room provide a view of who is moving where and how,” he said.

“However, nobody was present in that room because the principal had already left. Had someone been sitting in the office and noticed the boy taking the girl upstairs, perhaps this incident would not have happened,” the victim’s uncle added.

The family further alleged that the girl was initially hit with a stone before being attacked with a flower pot and a brick.

According to the family’s account, the girl was eventually found lying unconscious, with blood spread across the room.

The family has also raised concerns over the functioning of the CCTV cameras, particularly those installed in the principal’s office, and questioned whether adequate monitoring arrangements were in place during school hours.

They have sought accountability from the school management over the security lapses and the assault.

The Mumbai Crime Branch, investigating the attack on Bollywood actor Tiger Shroff, has reportedly uncovered details suggesting that the Lawrence Bishnoi gang was attempting to establish its dominance in Mumbai by challenging the long-standing influence and fear associated with Dawood Ibrahim and the D-Company.

According to the Mumbai Police’s investigation, the gang’s alleged objective behind its continued activities in Mumbai was to establish a one-sided dominance in the city. Police sources said the gang was seeking to create an atmosphere of fear reminiscent of the underworld’s influence in Mumbai during the 1990s.

A senior Mumbai Police official said the gang intended to recreate the kind of terror once associated with the underworld, when a single phone call could send businessmen, builders and film personalities into a state of panic.

The Crime Branch believes that establishing such dominance could enable the gang to expand its alleged extortion network and demand large sums of money from builders and members of the Bollywood industry.

Police have so far arrested 12 people in connection with the firing at Tiger Shroff’s car. During the investigation, the Crime Branch reportedly recovered several sensitive audio clips in which alleged underworld figures are mentioned.

The audio recordings are currently undergoing forensic examination as investigators attempt to establish the extent of the gang’s network and identify those allegedly involved in planning and executing criminal activities.

Investigating agencies believe that the Bishnoi gang was attempting to gain greater control over Mumbai’s criminal network by directly challenging the city’s traditional underworld syndicates.

The police have launched a crackdown as part of efforts to dismantle the alleged network and prevent further criminal activities. Investigators are also examining the recovered evidence to determine whether the firing incident was part of a broader strategy to spread fear and establish the gang’s presence in Mumbai.

Further investigation into the case is underway.

A special court under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for sexually assaulting a minor girl, besides imposing a fine of Rs 1.43 lakh on him, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said on Saturday.

The Special Judge, POCSO Act, Mathura, convicted accused Shyam Bihari on October 30 for multiple offences under the POCSO Act, 2012, the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000. The offences included rape, aggravated penetrative sexual assault, using a child for pornographic purposes and storing Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM).

According to the CBI, the agency registered the case on June 17, 2025, against Shyam Bihari following allegations of collecting, transmitting and publishing Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitative Material (CSAEM) in electronic form.

During the investigation, it emerged that the accused had also committed aggravated penetrative sexual assault against a minor girl. The CBI traced the victim and conducted the investigation with due sensitivity, keeping her safety, dignity and emotional well-being in mind.

The agency said appropriate counselling support was provided to the victim, while close coordination was maintained with forensic experts, medical professionals specialising in child sexual abuse cases and child protection authorities.

Special care was also taken during the collection, handling and preservation of digital evidence to ensure that the material was properly secured.

After completing the investigation, the CBI filed a chargesheet against the accused on August 14, 2025. The trial court framed charges on October 16, 2025.

Following the trial, the court found Shyam Bihari guilty of multiple offences, including aggravated penetrative sexual assault against a minor girl, sexual abuse, using a child for pornographic purposes and possessing CSAEM.

The court subsequently awarded him life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1.43 lakh for the offences under the POCSO Act, IPC and IT Act.

The CBI reiterated its commitment to investigating and prosecuting cases involving child sexual abuse and exploitation, stating that such offences are accorded high priority, with due regard to the safety, rights and dignity of children.