GUWAHATI: Days after a Class 7 student was found dead at the Sainik School near Ruksin in East Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, his sister alleged he was bullied and tortured by senior students.
In a video message, Miss Arunachal 2024 Tadu Lunia said school authorities informed her family on November 1 that her 12-year-old brother was missing for his morning PT class, and later, they found the body a few hundred meters away.
She said it was assumed that he died by suicide by jumping off an overhead water tank.
“When our family went to collect his belongings, his classmates and dormmates informed us that on the night of October 31, a group of 11 senior students – eight from Class 10 and three from Class 8 – came to the Class 7 dormitory and ragged everyone there,” Lunia said.
“Apart from my brother, they asked all the other students to cover their heads with blankets. My brother was taken to the Class 10 dormitory alone. We don’t know what happened behind closed doors,” she further stated.
Quoting her brother’s dormmates, she alleged that he was denied sleep and subjected to mental and physical harassment in the Class 10 dormitory.
“Some said he was forced to write that he is a thief because he took some books from the seniors without permission. The investigation officer showed us a small clip (CCTV footage) where my brother was seen going up and down restlessly in the morning, clearly showing how stressed and restless he was mentally,” the sister said.
“He was also seen going into a classroom and writing a note. His last words were seniors tortured me a lot, and I don’t know what I will do now,” she said.
She expressed anguish that her own identity may have been used against her brother, stating, "I never thought my name could become a burden in the final hours of his life."
The grieving sister also raised concerns over the delayed post-mortem examination report and alleged slow progress in the investigation.
"We know the names of those involved. I fear external interference may affect justice," she said, urging public support so that "no other family suffers the same fate."
Earlier, the Arunachal Pradesh Police said eight students had been detained in connection with the case and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) in Pasighat on Tuesday.
The board, led by the principal magistrate, sent them into the custody of the school's vice-principal for seven days, with guardians required to furnish undertakings under the Juvenile Justice Rules.
Police said the case, initially registered as Ruksin police station under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), was upgraded after the cadet's father filed an additional FIR on November 3, alleging ragging by senior students.
Authorities assured that the probe is underway to determine the complete circumstances leading to the death and to ensure "a fair and logical conclusion.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)
(Additional inputs from PTI)