Are Schools Safe in India? Two Attacks Raise Concerns

Two disturbing incidents in schools in Haryana and Andhra Pradesh have renewed concerns about student safety, classroom supervision and security within educational institutions. The cases, reported in late October and early November 2026, involve a young child allegedly assaulted by another student in Panchkula and a schoolgirl attacked with a chainsaw in Anantapur district.

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In Panchkula, Haryana, a six-year-old kindergarten student was critically injured in an alleged assault by an eight-year-old Class 3 student at a government school on October 28. The child was taken to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh for specialised treatment. Subsequent reports said her condition had improved and that she was out of danger.

The incident prompted disciplinary action against the school administration. Haryana authorities suspended the principal and two teachers, while police registered a case over alleged negligence. A committee was also tasked with examining the circumstances surrounding the incident, including supervision arrangements and possible safety lapses. The investigation is expected to establish how the assault occurred and whether established safeguards were followed.

A separate attack occurred at a Zilla Parishad High School in Rapthadu, in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district. A 21-year-old man, identified in reports as M. Hemanth, allegedly attacked a Class 10 student with a chainsaw. The injured girl was taken for specialised treatment in Bengaluru.

Police later reported that the accused was injured in a shooting during an operation to apprehend him in the Atmakur forest area. According to police accounts, he allegedly attempted to attack officers while they were trying to arrest him. He was taken to hospital for treatment. The circumstances of the school attack and the subsequent police operation remain matters for investigation.

Although the incidents differ in their circumstances and severity, both raise an important question: how effectively are schools protecting children while they are on campus?

School safety involves more than boundary walls and CCTV cameras. It also depends on active supervision, controlled access, emergency response procedures, staff accountability and the timely reporting of risks. Security systems must work in practice, not simply exist on paper.

The investigations will need to establish the specific failures, if any, in each case. For education authorities, the wider challenge is to ensure that safety procedures are consistently implemented and that students can learn in an environment where their physical security is treated as a basic responsibility.