Chandigarh, November 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Haryana Human Rights Commission has urged the state government to conduct a time-bound safety audit of all schools and formulate a comprehensive action plan to prevent incidents of child abuse and lapses in student supervision.
The Commission’s intervention follows the alleged assault on a six-year-old girl by a schoolmate at Government Model Sanskriti Senior Secondary School in Sector 20, Panchkula, on October 28. The child sustained multiple serious injuries and was shifted from Civil Hospital, Sector 6, to PGIMER, Chandigarh, for further treatment. Her condition had stabilised and she was reported out of danger on November 1.
Commission Chairperson Justice Lalit Batra, accompanied by Assistant Registrar Puneet Arora, visited the school on October 31 to examine its safety arrangements and child-supervision mechanisms. The Commission subsequently took up the matter suo motu.
In its order dated November 13 in Suo Motu Case No. 3555/7/14/2026, the Full Commission, comprising Justice Batra, Member Kuldip Jain and Member Deep Bhatia, observed that ensuring children’s safety within school premises is a fundamental responsibility of educational institutions and the administration.
The Commission said the incident raised wider concerns about teacher availability, classroom arrangements, supervision of students, CCTV monitoring and emergency response systems. It has sought clarity on the number of teachers and staff deployed when the incident occurred, whether students from different age groups and classes were being taught together, and why timely assistance was not provided to the injured child.
It stressed that action against individual employees alone would not address the underlying concerns. Authorities must also identify systemic shortcomings and administrative deficiencies that could have contributed to the incident.
Referring to the Haryana School Safety Regulations, 2017, and the Ministry of Education’s Guidelines on School Safety and Security, 2021, the Commission called for effective School Safety Committees, updated child-protection records, supervised student movement, emergency communication arrangements and comprehensive crisis-management plans.
It also emphasised that CCTV cameras must cover sensitive locations such as corridors, staircases and classroom entrances, with regular monitoring and checks to ensure they remain functional.
The Commission clarified that the prescribed pupil-teacher ratio of 30:1 under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, does not mean a teacher can leave 30 children unsupervised. Nor does the ratio automatically justify combining separate groups of students from different classes in one classroom.
Among its recommendations, the Commission called for a uniform Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) across schools covering classroom supervision, student movement, teacher duties, prevention and reporting of bullying, emergency medical assistance, communication with parents, preservation of CCTV footage and reporting of serious incidents.
It also recommended regular awareness programmes for parents on positive parenting, children’s emotional development, non-violent disciplinary practices and recognising behavioural changes.
The Commission has sought detailed reports from the Principal Secretary of the School Education Department, Haryana; Commissioner of Police, Panchkula; Deputy Commissioner, Panchkula; Director of PGIMER, Chandigarh; and Director General of Health Services, Haryana, along with the Civil Surgeon, Panchkula.
It directed that the identities and personal particulars of both children involved must remain strictly confidential in official records, reports and subsequent proceedings, in accordance with applicable child-protection and juvenile justice laws.
The Commission has fixed January 28, 2027, for the next hearing.
FOLLOW NOW
