A Class 8 student of a matriculation higher secondary school in Palayamkottai suffered multiple cut injuries as his classmate allegedly attacked him with machete on Tuesday following the quarrel erupted over borrowing pencil a couple of months ago.

When the class teacher tried to save the victim, she also suffered cut injuries on the hands. The student and the teacher, Revathi (44) have been admitted to a private hospital. Their condition is said to be stable.

Police said the two students, who had developed enmity two months ago over borrowing pencil, had frequent altercations on the school premises and it breached all limits on Tuesday around 10 a.m. when one of them attacked the other with machete, in which he suffered cut injuries on the head, shoulder and the hands.

After orchestrating the attack, the boy went to the nearby Palayamkottai police station, situated just 200 meters away from the school, with the machete and surrendered before the police.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Tirunelveli East, Vinodh Shantharam and Inspector of Police, Palayamkottai, Thillai Nagarajan visited the school and started the investigation.

Even though ‘borrowing pencil’ was cited as the motive behind this attack, sources in the school said troublesome love affair among the students led to this attack.

Further investigations are on.

This incident has triggered shock waves among the police and the academics as this is the second incident in the past two months as a Class 11 student was hacked by a trio near Srivaikundam in neighbouring Thoothukudi district even as the boy was traveling to the school by bus for the public examination on March 9 last. This victim is still undergoing treatment for the multiple cut injuries including the deep cuts he suffered in the spine and the skull.

In another incident, a Scheduled Caste Class 11 student and his sister were hacked by his schoolmates belonging to intermediate caste, who trespassed into the victim’s house and attacked them in August 2023. The State Government even formed a committee led by Justice Chandru to submit his recommendations for preventing such incidents in the schools.

In April 2022, a Plus Two student of a government higher secondary school near Cheranmahadevi in Tirunelveli district lost life after his juniors attacked him with stones over wearing ‘caste band’ issue.

MATTER ENDS

PAJS