Gurgaon’s Ryan School Shut Till Tomorrow; HR Head Arrested:- In connection with the murder of an seven-year-old class 2 boy, Pradhyuman Thakur, by a bus conductor in the school toilet, two top officials of Gurgaons’ Ryan International School Group have been arrested.

(Image Source: Amarujala.com)

The officials who were arrested on Sunday night were identified as Francis Thomas, regional head of the group, and HR head (Bhondsi branch) Jeyus Thomas. The duo were booked under section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act. The police will produce them at the Sohna court on Monday. Section 75 of the JJ Act deals with cruelty and crime against children under custody of someone and invites punishment of 5-10 years.

Following pressure by protesting parents and opposition to act against the school for alleged lapses, the two were arrested. An order was issued by the State government on Monday, stating that all campuses of the aforementioned school will be closed till Tuesday.

(Image Source: Hindustantimes.com)

On Friday night, the police arrested the accused, Ashok Kumar (42), a bus conductor. However, strict action was demanded by the parents and others against school authorities, especially, after police revealed that Kumar was fired from a private school in his village Ghamroj because of his suspicious behavior. A parallel CBI Probe was also demanded by the victim’s father, Varun Thakur, as the school had severe administrative loopholes. He further added that the family would move the Supreme Court on Monday.

Varun thakur said, “It’s been two days that my son is dead and we all miss him a lot. My only wish is that the truth should come out and justice be given to me and my wife. There is something which the local police are missing and so the case should be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). I am not happy with the police investigation, and I want a detailed investigation as there is something which is missing in the probe. There are a lot of loopholes which need to be investigated and the CBI can do an in-depth investigation which will clear the motive of the murder.”

“The murder took place within 10 minutes, which means the conductor was already prepared to kill my son. As soon as the kid entered the toilet, the accused attacked him. Also, why did no one listen to my child when his throat was slit? Did they ignore deliberately? I think the investigation is being influenced by someone who does not want the truth to come out. No culprit must be spared. Even if one of them is let loose, it'll boost the morale of people like them,” he added

“If the conductor has no criminal history then how did he plan the murder? What instigated him to kill my son? Why did he take a knife with him only on that day? The police have added Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act against school management, but I demand that the police should also add Section 304 (death by negligence) of the IPC . Also, no one from the school management has met us or spoken to us so far. Soon after the incident, the school is not coming forward to accept negligence on their part. They should accept their mistake and speak up. They should own up the blunder and take measures to ensure safety and security of other students. I have lost my son, but I do not want history to repeat,” he said.

Serious security lapses in the school were even pointed out by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), that is constituted to look into the case. The school did not have separate toilets for staff like drivers and conductors. The SIT added that the administration even did not get their employees identification verified.

As per the report highlighted by the investigative team, it highlighted that the CCTV cameras of the school were not working properly and were not installed everywhere. Also, the fire extinguishers were expired. It was also revealed that the school establishment had broken boundary walls. There were no separate toilets for conductors and drivers and the wall behind the school remained unfinished which easily allowed anyone to enter the school premises without permission, added the report.

In connection with the baton-charge on protesters, Arun Kumar, the SHO Sohna Sadar police station, was also suspended. This incident had left several media persons injured and drew strong criticism from the opposition.

After probe found that baton-charge was uncalled for and could have been avoided, the SHO was suspended.

SUPRAJA