The tragedy at gurgaon near New Delhi where there was a shootout in school claiming the life of a bully as the boyvillains put it is a tragedy without parallel in these parts. We are essentially a peaceloving people and firearms are a luxury at home. Parents may hqve it but bar the occasional accidental triggering when the cleaning was done or when the gun is toyed with as a prank, the intentional killing was nonexistent. One hears of underage boys and girls wielding weapons I some parts of Arabia and Africa and even America. To the best of one’s memory this is the first case when a murder was planned and the execution was done remorselessly. Even after the deed the villains are unrepentant. The role of a saviour is a role subject to misuse even by adults and mature boys. One dreads to think what will happen next.
Most criminals, according to criminologists, had unhappy childhood. These boys belong to welloff families. One excuse is that the bullying tactics of the boy adversary who fell to the assassin’s bullets was brought to the notice of the admiistration. They did not act and the boys did, that is their defence.
In effect, the boy criminals were judges as well as executioners.So I think we are to prepare for the day when a student takes a sawgun or ak47 and launches himself on a killing spree, as the Virginia student did.
Was the mischievous intent not detected in time by elders? There are no answers. We could guess the how. The Teachers are too busy with their classroom chores, the parents are too busy earning their keep and the keep for the children and the kids are inspired by media exploits..What is the way out?