The Delhi Police on Thursday arrested the principal of Vasant Kunj-based Ryan International School and four others in connection with the tragic death of six-year-old Devyansh. Principal Sandhya Sabu (50), Devyansh’s class teacher Minakshi Kapoor (38), drinking water machine operator Yoesh Kholiya (23) and gardener Ram Narayan (44) were arrested around 2.30 pm on the charges of negligence under Section 304A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The police had questioned the school authorities, including the principal, for five days.
Police also arrested Puran Singh Bisht (65), the maintenance in-charge of the water tank in which Devyansh’s body was found floating on January 30.
When asked about the arrest, Devyansh’s father Ramhet Meena said, “I am relieved but not satisfied. I want stricter punishment for the culprits.” The distraught father further said, “Both (police and media) stood by us and I hope, they will join our fight for justice for my son.”
The parents, who returned to Delhi from their native village Rajasthan after completing their son’s last rites, staged candlelight march along with others demanding justice. The family said that no one from the school came to help his son when he fell into the tank and in fact the school restrained them from informing police and fire services.
Sources said that Delhi Police Commissioner BS Bassi ordered the arrest of the principal and others responsible for the death of the child. Senior police officers said that they were waiting for the final post-mortem report. The autopsy report is expected to bring to the fore the final findings related to the child’s death.
“The final post-mortem report will help us match the evidence collected during investigation with the forensic findings of the report,” a police officer involved in the investigation said.
All the five were arrested under Section 304 A (causing death by negligence) of IPC, after facing flak from not taking any action in the case.
Divyansh Kakrora, a Class I student of Ryan International School, Vasant Kunj, was found dead in a water tank near the amphitheatre of the school on Saturday last. School authorities had told the police that the boy was last seen before the seventh period, which was around 12.20 pm. They later found him floating in the tank and rushed him to Institute of Spinal Injury Centre, where he was declared brought dead. The Delhi Police had registered a case of negligence causing death at the Vasant Kunj North police station. The initial postmortem report of Divyansh suggested he died of drowning and no external injuries were found, police said.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had also ordered a magisterial enquiry into the case, to find facts and to fix responsibility and ascertain exact role of school management.
Divyansh’s father Ramhet Meena had alleged that his son was murdered inside the school. He had said, “My son’s death is the result of the school’s conspiracy.” “I was told to keep quiet when I insisted the school authorities to answer my questions on my child’s death,” Meena had alleged. Meena had demanded a CBI probe into the case so that the people behind his son’s death could be brought to book.