A Gurugram court on Saturday remanded the school bus conductor, arrested a day earlier for allegedly murdering a Class 2 student at Ryan International School, in police custody for three days. The Class 2 student was found with his throat slit in the school toilet on Friday morning.
A special committee is investigating the murder. Besides this, the Central Board of Secondary Education has asked the school to send it a report in two days along with a copy of the FIR that was filed. The Board has also set up a two-member fact finding committee to investigate the case.
Police action so far
On Saturday morning, the principal of the school was also suspended. Gurugram Deputy Commissioner of Police Simardeep Singh told ANI that the principal, Neerja Batra, was suspended, and that action has been taken against the school’s security agency.
Gurugram Commissioner of Police Sandeep Khirwar said that they will ask that the case be tried in a fast-track court. “We will be able to determine what happened in a day’s time. The culprit will be punished accordingly,” Khirwar said. He added that they will attempt to file a chargesheet in court within a week.
On Friday, the police arrested bus conductor Ashok Kumar for allegedly trying to sexually assault the boy before attacking him. Kumar’s family, however, are claiming that he is being framed for the murder, News18 reported.
The boy’s murder sparked outrage among parents in Gurugram. Parents from across the city gathered at the school on Saturday morning, demanding that officials be arrested too, the Hindustan Times reported. “Just arresting the bus conductor is not enough,” the child’s father Varun Thakur said. “It is negligence on the part of the school, and they should be booked.”
The boy’s family has accused the school administration of negligence and demanded action against them. After the principal was suspended, the family’s lawyer said action against the school management “is now certain”.
‘I lost my mind’
On Saturday, arrested bus conductor Kumar told TV news channel India Today that he had tried to sexually assault the boy and attacked and killed him as he tried to run away. “I lost my mind. I couldn’t think of anything,” he told the channel.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!