NEW DELHI: He was seven years old. Dressed in light blue uniform, the Class-II student was dropped at school by his father Varun Thakur like on any other day. But just 15 minutes later, Thakur received a phone call from the Ryan International School in Gurgaon where his son studies.
“They said my son was found inside the toilet and was bleeding heavily,” he said speaking to the media. “They said they were rushing him to the hospital and asked us to come there.” The boy died before reaching the hospital. His throat had been slit and a knife with blood stains was found in the toilet.
According to the police, a bus staff named Ashok resident of Ghamroj village was arrested in the case. The police, who said they had detained ten people, told PTI they zeroed in on the accused after two students saw him walking down a corridor. Ashok Kumar confessed to the crime after being grilled by a team, the police said.
Though the motive for murder is yet to be ascertained, they suspect an attempt to sexually assault the child could have taken place. “With what belief do we send our children to school if they get murdered there,” asked the crestfallen father, who works in a private company as quality manager. “They (school authorities) did not take care of my son. Had they taken him to the hospital on time, his life could have been saved.”
As the news circulated on WhatsApp, hundreds of anxious parents assembled at the campus and were reported to have barged into the building, flung furniture around and shattered the glass award cases. Several parents later protested at a police station demanding action against the school.
“I just saw my child 15 minutes ago, when I dropped him to school. If children are murdered in schools, then on what belief can we leave them here. They (school authorities) did not take care of my son. He could have been saved if he had been taken to hospital in time," said the crestfallen father Varun Thakur, who works in private company as a quality manager.
"We are investigating the case from all angles. The police team is examining the CCTV footage from over 30 cameras installed on the school premises. The child was declared brought dead by doctors. We are questioning the two suspects, further investigation is on" said Ravinder Kumar, PRO Gurgaon Police told Express.
A police team constituting forensic experts is probing the case and has collected blood sample and finger prints from the scene. A knife with blood stains was also recovered from the spot added Kumar further.
A murder case under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at Bhondsi police station and the body has been sent for a post mortem examination, police said. Meanwhile, scores of parents and locals gathered outside the school and protested against the school management till late evening demanding action against the school authorities over the negligence.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident that occurred at our school today, involving a class II student - Pradyuman Thakur. Despite all attempts, unfortunately his life couldn't be saved due to the extent of his injuries. The police are investigating this matter and we have assured our full support and co-operation towards the investigation of the same” said spokesperson Ryan International schools Neti Srinivasan.
Not the first such case
Last year, Devansh Meena, a Class I student of Ryan International School’s Vasant Kunj campus was found dead inside a water tank in school. His father claimed he was sexually assaulted before the murder and the principal threatened his family to keep mum, according to media reports
Last month, a 10-year-old boy, Arman Sehgal, died, allegedly after “falling down”, at G D Goenka Public School in Indirapuram
In July, the body of a boy, who was sodomized and bludgeoned to death by a teenager, was dumped on the terrace of a government high school in Hyderabad
In February, a 15-year-old boy, N Harsha Raj, was stabbed to death outside his school campus in Yelahanka, North Bengaluru
(with inputs from PTI)