Ryan International School student's murder: Bus conductor, who 'attempted to sexually abuse' 7-year-old boy, arrested

The Gurugram Police on Friday arrested the bus conductor of the Ryan International School here in connection with the alleged murder of a class II student whose body was found lying in a pool of blood this morning.

Gurugram: The Gurugram Police on Friday arrested the bus conductor of the Ryan International School in connection with the alleged murder of a class II student whose body was found lying in a pool of blood this morning.

According to PTI, bus conductor Ashok Kumar has been arrested for murder of the 7-year-old student of the Gurgaon-based school.

The killer attempted to sexually abuse the 7-year-old school student, the PTI quoted Gurugram Police officials as saying. 

Killer attempted to sexually abuse 7-year-old schoolboy: Police. #Gurgaon — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 8, 2017

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Simardeep Singh, who is also officiating Commissioner of Police in Gurugram, later confirmed that Ashok Kumar, the son of Amichand and resident of village Ghamroj, has been arrested in the Bhondsi murder case of a seven-year-old child.

However, Singh didn't respond to a question on what action has been taken against the school management.

The boy was found dead by a school staff in the washroom with his throat slit. A knife, presumably the murder weapon, was found near the body.

His sister is a student of Class 5 in the same school, located on Sohna Road, some 13 km from Gurugram city. 

Sharing more details, the top cop said some students found the boy in the washroom in the school building in the Sohna area at around 8.30 am.

"The students alerted the teachers and the school management then informed the police, who rushed him to Artemis Hospital. He was declared brought dead by doctors," Ravinder Kumar, PRO Gurgaon Police, had earlier said.

During his interrogation, Ashok Kumar told the police that he managed to carry a knife into the school because he knew he would not be frisked by the guards at the gate since he was a known face.

The police said he then went to the washroom, and then waited there, intending to commit sodomy on any student who walked in.

''As soon as the boy entered the toilet, Kumar held him. But the boy resisted his attempts with full force and when the accused failed to sodomise him, he slit his throat and right ear," the senior cop said.

The Gurugram Police claimed that the accused later washed his hands and walked out of the washroom, leaving the knife behind.

He also tried to help the teachers when the boy was being taken to the hospital.

"Ashok Kumar carried the boy with the others and took him to the car," the officer said.

The Gurgram Police had earlier detained at least ten persons including the bus conductor, driver and a member of the school's staff for questioning in connection with the case.

As the news spread, hundreds of parents and locals gathered outside the school today and protested against the management. The angry protesters also vandalised the school's property.

Hundreds of worried parents later staged protests outside the Gurugram Police Commissioner's office demanding justice for the boy's family and immediate arrest of those responsible for his death.

#Gurugram Parents sit in protest at police commissioner's office after body of a Class II student was found at Ryan International School pic.twitter.com/dcsad7l1e2 — ANI (@ANI) September 8, 2017

The deceased's father, who works as a quality manager with Orient Craft in Gurgaon, had accused the school administration of negligence and called his child's death a 'murder'.

''The school administration did not inform him about his son's death initially. "I dropped him today at around 7:30 am. He was happy. They told me his health deteriorated suddenly. They did not take care of my son. He could have been saved if he had been taken to the hospital at the time," the grieving father had informed PTI.

However, school head Neerja Batra said she had come out of the morning assembly prayers when she saw a teacher running, followed by two more teachers.

"The child was in a pool of blood. We did not wait for a second and put the child in my vehicle and I sent them to the hospital," she said.

The school said in a statement it was "deeply saddened by the tragic incident".

"He had suffered critical injuries and was immediately rushed to the hospital by the school head. Despite all attempts, unfortunately his life couldn't be saved," it said, adding that the school was cooperating with the police.

In 2016, the body of a six-year-old student of the school's Vasant Kunj branch in south Delhi was found in a water tank. The principal and a teacher were booked for negligence in May this year.

The brutal murder in the upmarket Gurgaon school evoked widespread horror, prompting the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to visit the school and the hospital where the child was taken.

The apex body for child rights recommended that a case of negligence be registered against the management of the school.

With Agency inputs