In a sensational twist to the Gurugram Ryan International School murder, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday apprehended a Class XI student of the school for allegedly killing seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur.
A Class II student of the school, Pradyuman was found dead with his throat slit by a sharp-edged weapon on the morning of September 8 inside the school’s toilet. The Gururgram Police had then arrested school bus conductor Ashok Kumar as the prime suspect. They had claimed that the boy was killed after he resisted sodomy bid by Ashok. But the CBI did not find any evidence against the bus conductor.
The murder weapon, a knife, was found in the commode of the toilet where the killing allegedly took place, said CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal. It was the same knife seized by the Gurgaon Police, he said.
The accused juvenile confessed to have murdered Pradyuman inside the school toilet, said CBI spokesperson Dayal. According to the agency, the Class XI student, believed to be weak in studies, allegedly slit Pradyuman’s throat to get the school to declare a holiday in order to defer a scheduled parents-teachers meeting (PTM) and an examination.
The CBI was able to piece together elements of the crime by analysing the CCTV footage, scientific and forensic examination, analysis of the crime scene and by questioning students, teachers and staff of the school, an official said.
The CBI produced the boy on Wednesday before Juvenile Justice Board president Devender Kumar in Gurugram for seeking six days remand but the board permitted it only 3 days remand on the condition that the boy will be interrogated from 10 am to 6 pm.
On next hearing on Saturday, the JJ Board is expected to take the call whether the 16-year-old boy should be tried as a juvenile or a major (as per the new law).
Pradyuman’s father Varun Thakur said the killer of his son should be tried as an adult and given the harshest punishment.
“We demand strict punishment for him, he should be tried as an adult and hanged,” said Sushil Tekriwal, lawyer representing Pradyumn’s family, at a Press briefing.
It has been revealed that the student had planned the murder on September 8 and it was a coincidence that Pradyuman reached the toilet and became his target on that date. The same student reportedly called out the school gardener to alert him about Pradyuman, who was bleeding profusely. The conductor, who was later arrested, helped carry Pradyuman to a car for being taken to hospital. Sources said the Class XI student was detained earlier on Monday.
The Haryana Government had transferred the case on September 22 after the deceased’s parents were not satisfied with the Gurugram Police investigation. The CBI also analysed CCTV footage, which showed the movement of people in and out of the toilet, on the basis of which it prepared the list of suspects.
The CBI said the fresh development came after “inspection of the crime spot, scrutiny of CCTV footage, call records, statements and questioning of several people” that revealed the suspect had carried a knife to the school on that day and used it to kill his junior school mate.
“Based on CCTV footage and crime scene analysis, the agency examined all the suspects in the matter. The Gurugram Police had claimed the footage was not clear.
The agency checked the footage at Forensic Sciences laboratory (CFl) Hyderabad and found that the accused boy was coming with a knife in his hand and there were blood marks on his clothes,” it said.
The sources said the CBI has taken the confession of the boy and as per the law, the boy’s parents was also kept in the loop. “My son is innocent and is not involved in any crime. The CBI has wrongfully involved my son in the matter. He had first informed about the murder to his class teacher,” the arrested boy’s father, Vinod Raghav, said.
Pradyuman’s father Varun Thakur said from day one he was not convinced with the theory of the Gurugram Police. “From the first day, I was saying that the conductor was not behind the murder and someone else had killed my son. The CBI is now doing its job. The agency will surely find some more clues into the murder of my son,” Varun said.
“We know that my husband was innocent. The school administration as well as police had framed him in the crime which he did not commit. We are feeling much relief now but we will be happy once my husband will be acquitted by the court,” conductor’s Ashok wife Mamta, said.