Ballari hostel rampage: Class 9 student attacks sleeping classmates; one dead, 7 injured

A Class 9 student allegedly violently attacked the hostel of a private boarding school on Talur Road in Ballari district late on Saturday night, March 7, 2026, killing a classmate and injuring seven people, including a female student and the hostel warden.

The incident took place at Gurukul Hostel affiliated to Gurukul International School. According to the police, the minor suspect allegedly attacked his classmates with an iron bed after a minor argument after dinner. It was stated that the attack took place while the victims were asleep.

The injured were taken to Ballari Medical College and Research Center (BMCRC) hospital in Ballari. Health officials stated that some students were in stable condition, while some were in serious condition. The hostel manager, whose name is Blessy, was also injured while trying to intervene.

The victim’s family defended negligence

While the school administration described the incident as an attack with an iron bar, Lakshmikant, the father of the dead child, claimed in his complaint that his son was stabbed and the attack was intentional. The victim’s family also asked various questions about the incident.

The victim’s parents also blamed the school administration for the security breach. “How could a minor carry out such a brutal attack inside a monitored hostel?” the victim’s father questioned. He also demanded strict legal action against both the accused minor and the administrative officer of the hostel for negligence.

Brucepet police initiated a case based on a complaint from the victim’s father.

The accused student is on the run

Ballari Superintendent of Police Suman D. Pennekar said that preliminary investigation is on to determine the exact reason behind the incident and the weapon used. Immediately after the incident, a search was launched to catch the suspect student who escaped from the scene.

Speaking to the media, Inspector General of Police Ballari Range PS Harsha stated that the police team, including Crime Scene Officers (SOCO) and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team, conducted a detailed investigation of the hostel where the incident took place.

Dr. Harsha confirmed that the police had recorded the official statement of the hostel manager, who was among those injured in the attack. He assured that the alleged security lapses and the sequence of events at Gurukul Hostel will be thoroughly investigated.

“Given that both the defendant and the victims are minors, we are maintaining the utmost sensitivity in this case,” the official said, declining to provide further information about preliminary findings to protect the legal rights and privacy of the children involved.