Three policemen, including a sub inspector, were suspended on Wednesday after an FIR was allegedly registered against a minor student in Agra over a school assault case without following procedures laid down for minors under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, police said. The FIR was later expunged and the matter was placed before the Juvenile Justice Board.
The action followed a dispute between two students of a school in Agra. According to police, the incident took place on Saturday when a Class 10 student allegedly punched his classmate, injuring his jaw and breaking his teeth. The victim’s father later approached police seeking legal action and also met the district magistrate.
On Tuesday, police at Sikandra Police Station registered a case against the minor student under Sections 115(2) and 117(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on the complaint of the victim’s father.
Syed Ali Abbas, deputy commissioner of police (City), said the FIR was filed without ensuring compliance with procedures applicable in cases involving minors. He said such matters should be referred to the Juvenile Justice Board, which is the competent authority in such cases.
“The FIR registered has been expunged and three policemen, including a sub inspector, have been suspended. The inspector in-charge of Sikandra police station will face departmental enquiry for negligence,” Abbas said.
“The minor student has been presented before the Juvenile Justice Board and police will act according to directions issued by the board.” Abbas clarified that minors can be named in FIRs in certain cases, but in this matter, police failed to follow due procedure under Juvenile Justice Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, which allows only a general diary (GD) entry at the police station in such cases.
Following the lapse, sub inspector Manpal, constable clerk Sunny Dhama and constable Kamal Chandel were suspended, while SHO Pradeep Tripathi is facing a departmental probe for alleged negligence.
Meanwhile, the Association of Progressive Schools of Agra (APSA) issued a set of recommendations following the incident to prevent bullying and violence in schools.
Sushil Gupta, president of APSA, said schools must strengthen student safety measures and focus on emotional well-being. “Such occurrences underline the need for proactive steps that go beyond discipline and focus on prevention, awareness and responsible conduct,” he said.
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