LUCKNOW: An 11-year-old boy, a student at a Gurukul in Lucknow, was found dead just seven days after admission, with his family alleging that his body bore multiple injury marks when it was brought home.
The victim, Divyansh, was admitted to the Ramanuj Bhagwat Ved Vidyapeeth Gurukul in Lucknow on April 15. He was staying there when his family received news of his death on April 22.
According to police sources, the boy died due to excessive beating by the Gurukul manager, Kanhaiya Lal Mishra. He, along with his girlfriend Harshita Sonia, was arrested late on Thursday night after an FIR was lodged against the manager and an unidentified person.
Harshita is accused of destroying evidence and sending other disciples home.
Sources said that Divyansh’s father, Narendra Kumar Dwivedi, a resident of Gauraiya village under Maharajganj police station, had enrolled his son at the Gurukul after being told that free Vedic education was provided there.
According to the family, Divyansh spoke to his sister on the phone on Tuesday night. However, the next morning, the family was informed that the child had passed away.
When Divyansh’s body reached home, his parents raised concerns after noticing several injury marks. They alleged that he was thrashed with a cane, with around 39–40 deep injury marks on his body.
The family also claimed that his hands and legs were tied with ropes and that he was subjected to severe torture.
Suspicion deepened after the Gurukul operator, Mishra, informed the family over the phone that the child had fallen down the stairs.
However, instead of taking the boy to a hospital, Mishra allegedly brought the body to Kanpur in a car and left it outside the victim’s house before fleeing. An unidentified driver was also present with him at the time.
Following a complaint filed by the father, police registered an FIR against Mishra and the driver under charges of murder and destruction of evidence.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Anjali Vishwakarma said that a special team had been formed to investigate the case. The team will visit Lucknow to examine the Gurukul and collect evidence.
DCP (East) Satyajit Gupta told media persons that a police team visited the Gurukul and found not a single child was present there. They also found that CCTV footage had been tampered with.
Police officials said that Divyansh had been subjected to beatings for four days prior to his death. He was allegedly beaten with a stick and belt, slapped, and kept without clothes for a day.
Sources added that Gurukul staff admitted that the manager would stop food for students if he got angry with them.
However, the autopsy, conducted by doctors under videography, confirmed injury marks inflicted by a stick and belt, but no sexual assault was noted.
The DCP (East) said that the manager confessed to the crime, stating that he had developed aggressive behaviour towards students as he himself had been beaten during childhood. He told police that the victim was not following Gurukul rules and was allegedly trying to bully other students. In a fit of rage, he beat the child.
After receiving the body, the agitated family initially refused to perform the last rites and demanded strict action against the accused.
They agreed to creamte the body only after UP Assembly Speaker Satish Mahana visited them and assured action and financial assistance.