A dagger in his school bag

The 15-year-old schoolboy who stabbed his Hindi teacher to death in a classroom on Thursday had been carrying a knife for at least three days, investigating officers said.

Assistant commissioner of police K N Murali said the boy had taken the knife, which he had bought for 20 from a shop near his house, to school on Tuesday and Wednesday. "He had kept the knife in his bag, waiting for an opportunity," the police officer said. He couldn't attack the teacher as she was with some students the last couple of days. On Thursday, she was alone in a classroom when he stabbed her.

Many of the arrested student's schoolmates and neighbours couldn't believe that he committed such a crime. "He never got angry, but he has been aloof," said a student. Neighbours said he was rarely seen outside his house. "I saw the news on television and could not believe it. I am concerned as I have a son of his age," said Aziz, a parent who was bringing his child back from the same school.

The boy had very little interaction with the outside world. "He goes to school by car and returns in the same vehicle or sometimes in an autorickshaw," said S Murugesan, who works in a firm near the boy's house. "Once he gets into his house, he is rarely seen outside."

Workers at a small mill opposite his house said they have seen the boy only when he goes to school and returns in the evening. "A few times, I've seen him on the terrace of his building. He minds his own business and steps out only with his mother," said an employee at the mill.

The owner of a department store in the locality said the boy bought some chocolates from his shop on Wednesday. "There was no sign of aggression in him," he said. "He doesn't fight with anyone . In fact, he doesn't even talk to other children in the neighbourhood."

Back in his school, teachers remained inside the staff room, shocked. M Arockiam, a teacher, said, "I was teaching in the neighbouring classroom. I heard Maheshwari scream, and rushed there. I saw her lying on the floor below the blackboard , with bleeding injuries. The boy was standing there with the knife in his hand."

Esplanade police registered a case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and took the boy in custody. He was produced before the juvenile magistrate court in Kellys and was later taken to a juvenile home. The school administration has declared holiday for the school till Monday.


We may never know the turmoil the teenager who attacked his teacher in a classroom on Thursday undergoes as he spends his first day in a juvenile home. But circumstantial evidence shows he was angry and determined to attack the teacher who repeatedly sent adverse remarks on his performance to his parents. The teacher was but doing her assigned duty, obviously unaware of the pressure that was driving the child to an act of violence. As the juvenile justice system determines the punishment, our schools should start a serious introspection on the monitoring and reporting methodology. There is nothing wrong in making children studious, but the way in which the system tries to achieve this goal should be holistic, acknowledging their skills and limitations. Schools should have child psychologists who can identify and snuff out disturbing signs in students. There should also be experts guiding teachers on how to deal with such children.