Full Breakdown
Attack on Jharkhand Missionary School Principal Leaves Him Hospitalised
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On the night of October 21, three masked individuals broke into St Michael School in Khunti, Jharkhand, and assaulted principal Father Benedict Barla (also known as Benny). He was discovered unconscious with serious head injuries the following morning and was taken to a hospital in Ranchi, where he remains under treatment.
Data & Statistics
- The three detained suspects are minors aged 13, 14 and 15.
- A fourth minor is still at large.
- Police recovered Rs 85,747 in cash, a mobile phone, a knife and other items allegedly stolen from the school office.
- The assault lasted roughly 30 minutes, according to investigators.
Official Statements & Responses
Superintendent of Police Rishabh Garg said a Special Investigation Team was formed to trace the remaining suspect using CCTV footage, mobile-tower data and technical evidence. He confirmed that the juveniles entered the campus around 8:30 pm, intending to steal money to fund a local fair, and that Father Barla was attacked with a small hoe-like weapon when he appeared unexpectedly. Garg added that the recovered cash and phones were found buried in a forest area and that part of the money had been used to purchase goods online and locally.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
One account places the intrusion on October 20 at 8:30 pm, describing the youths’ arrival and the ensuing confrontation that night. Another source states the attack occurred on the night of October 21, with the principal found injured the next morning. The precise timing of the assault therefore remains unclear across reports.
Verbatim Quotes
- “From the CCTV footage, it appears that three people wearing masks entered on a bike. It seems they may have entered the office and attacked the principal when he came across them. They appear to have used whatever they could find there to hit him,” — Bisu Benjamin, Vicar General of the Koti Diocese.