Class 11 student murdered Pradyuman, not conductor: CBI

NEW DELHI: A Class 11 student who allegedly wanted the parent-teacher meeting and exams to be postponed has been apprehended in connection with the killing of a sevenyear-old boy in Gurgaon’s Ryan International School, the CBI said on Wednesday.

In a sensational twist to the case, the high school student, who is about 16 years old, was apprehended late Tuesday night for allegedly killing his junior inside the school, said a CBI spokesperson.

Pradyuman, a Class 2 student of the school, was found dead with his throat slit by a sharp-edged weapon on the morning of September 8.

Sources in the agency said the crime was committed in just three to four minutes.

The CBI has not found any evidence so far against bus conductor Ashok Kumar, who was the Gurgaon Police’s sole accused in the gruesome killing, CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal said.

The murder weapon, a knife, was found in the commode of the toilet where the killing allegedly took place, he said.

It was the same knife seized by the Gurgaon Police.

According to the agency, the Class 11 student, believed to be weak in his studies, allegedly slit Pradyuman’s throat to get the school to declare a holiday to defer a scheduled parent-teacher meeting (PTM) and an examination.

The CBI spokesperson said the minor student was apprehended Tuesday night at 11.30 pm by the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act.

“His parents were kept in the loop and all measures in accordance with the JJ Act were complied with. He remains our prime suspect.”

He said the agency analysed CCTV footage, showing the movement of people in and out of the toilet, by which it narrowed the list of suspects.

The agency has not found any evidence of sexual assault, he said.

GURUGRAM/NEW DELHI: The family and lawyers of the seven-year-old Ryan school student who was murdered inside the school premises last month, 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.

“We demand strict punishment for the Class XI student.

The (Juvenile Justice) Board also has the option of having him tried as an adult. The CBI has apprehended him based on evidence and we will assist the CBI and the court to ensure he is not allowed to go scot-free, is tried as an adult and hanged till death,” Sushil Tekriwal, the lawyer reresenting the victim’s family, told reporters.

The family accused the local police of botching up the investigation and said the Central Bureau of Investigatioon meticulously collected circumstantial evidences and facts.

They also alleged a larger conspiracy behind the murder and said that they want the CBI to file a charge sheet soon.

Tekriwal also said that the agency had yet not given a clean chit to the Pinto family the trustees of Ryan International Group.

“There is a deep-rooted conspiracy that has been hatched on the part of various people including the student who has been apprehended. The legal battle is going to be long but we are waiting for the CBI to file the charge sheet in a timebound manner,” he said.

The father of deceased Pradyuman, a Class II student of the Ryan International School, also expressed satisfaction with the CBI’S progress in the case and demanded that all others involved in the conspiracy be brought to book.

“All those whose negligence led to my son’s murder should also be questioned. They should be given strict punishment so that it sends out a positive message that no one can go scot-free after committing such a heinous crime,” he said.

The Class XI student, who allegedly wanted to postpone a parent-teacher meeting and exams, has been apprehended in connection with the killing of Pradyuman inside the school, the CBI said.