With the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arresting a 16-year-old student for murder of seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur inside the Ryan International school’s Bhondsi branch in Gurugram, the police officials scurried for cover as sources claimed that crucial evidence was ignored in police probe. The gruesome crime that had occurred on September 8 had shocked the entire country.
Meanwhile, the family and lawyers of the seven-year-old Ryan School student on Wednesday demanded that a Class XI boy apprehended in the case by the CBI be tried as an adult and be given strict punishment.
They also expressed suspicion about the involvement of school authorities in “destruction of evidence” and sought that the top management officials of the school be questioned by the CBI in the matter.
The CBI's findings are a major embarrassment for the Gurugram Police, which had blamed the school bus driver Ashok Kumar for the murder. The Haryana Government had in September recommended a CBI probe into Pradyuman’s murder.
On Wednesday the entire brass of Gurugram police refrained from speaking over the sensational murder. Director-General of Police (Haryana) BS Sandhu, Commissioner of Gurugram Police Sandeep Khirwar were not available for comments.
Spokesperson of Gurugram police ACP Manish Sehgal said the Police Commissioner was not in the city as he had gone to Chandigarh to attend a meeting.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), South, Ashok Bakshi, who had led the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the case, said, “The Gurugram Police had investigated the matter as per the situation. CBI's version is based on their investigation. It will become crystal clear once the chargesheet will be filed.”
However, the DCP didn’t clarify whether the Gurugram police still believed that Ashok was real culprit behind the murder.
Meanwhile, the DGP told the reporters in Chandigarh, that the Gurugram Police did not fabricate the story of the murder.
What had happened on September 8 in the Ryan International School, according to the Gurugram police, was that Pradyuman Thakur (7) was brutally murdered after his throat had been slit pn the premises of the Ryan International School on September 8. He collapsed near a wall outside, his blood puddling around him. The CCTV camera had recorded bus conductor Ashok Kumar entering the bathroom before the child went in.
At that time the city police had confirmed that Ashok was inside the bathroom and he was engaged in a sexual act when he was seen by the boy and that led to the murder. The police also alleged that Ashok had washed his clothes and hands to clean the blood stains and later he had confessed to his crime. Also, the two schoolboys identified Ashok and said that he was inside the washroom when the crime took place. Police also recovered the murder weapon in the toilet.
On September 8, the Gurugram Police had arrested Ashok Kumar as a prime accused and detained several other staffers of the school. The Gurugram Police had formed around 14-member Special Investigation Team under the DCP to probe the matter.
According to the sources, the CBI probe reveals that the Gurugram Police had ignored the CCTV footage which the police had claimed that it was a blur. Now the same footage led to the cracking of the case. It was clear that the accused juvenile was the first to leave the toilet with blood stains on his dress and had informed the school teacher, gardener and other school staff.
Twist in the tale occurred when three students and a teacher reportedly told the CBI that they saw him with a knife a few days before the murder. The same weapon was found from the toilet.
Also, the CBI recovered another knife from the school premises, sources said but the agency did not confirm it. On the other hand, the juvenile boy's family submitted a medical report before the JJ board in which it is mentioned that the boy was under treatment since one year.