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Guns and campus rage

Bullying and violence are not new to Indian schools. But the horrific shooting to death of 14-year-old Abhishek Tyagi, a class VIII student, by two schoolmates in a Gurgaon private school is, in many ways, the first of its kind in India. The ease with which the minors gained access to a pistol and the commonplace nature of the alleged provocation — bullying — point to problems that go beyond the immediate circumstances of the tragedy. Although comparisons with high-school shootings in the United States are out of place, the Gurgaon campus killing exposes the vulnerability of schools, students, and teachers to the deviant behaviour of a few. Unlike in America, where it is possible to pick a gun off the shelf, firearms possession in India is subject to strict laws. Licensing or compulsory registration of the firearm is not the issue. The Gurgaon killing involved a licensed pistol that belonged to the father of one of the boys involved in the shooting. The boy picked the loaded weapon left in the television trolley, concealed it in his socks, and took it to school. The father certainly has a lot to answer for. Although the Arms Act is silent on the penalties for failing to secure a weapon, Section 304-A of the Indian Penal Code provides for punishment for causing death by negligence.

Lost in the shock and frenzy whipped up by the media around this incident are the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act. Several television channels as well as newspapers (and apparently some police officers) thought nothing of violating the prohibition on publication of the names and identification details of juvenile offenders. Adolescent egos are fragile, and incidents of bullying are known to trigger acts of violence. But what might normally have ended in fisticuffs led to the killing of a boy — because a schoolmate had effortless access to a pistol. Bullying and ragging on school campuses will continue to pose a social challenge; by comparison, denying minors access to firearms should be child’s play. The Arms Act provides for strict licensing procedures: licences are given after an inquiry, as deemed necessary by the licensing authority, and need to be renewed every three years. But there are clearly problems of implementation. Not changes in the law, but strict enforcement of existing regulations and the exercise of great responsibility by gun licence holders should be the first steps if Indian schools are not to endure similar horrors in future.

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