Ryan school murder: Bus conductor Ashok Kumar released from jail

GURUGRAM: Ryan International School bus conductor Ashok Kumar, who was first arrested by the Gurugram police in connection with the murder of 7-year-old Pradyuman Thakur, was on Wednesday released from the Bhondsi jail. 

Kumar was lodged in the jail since last two months. 

Pradyuman, a class II students, was found dead in the toilet of the school with his throat slit on September 8. Hours later, the city police detained the school bus conductor claiming it had cracked the case. 

Gurgaon Police Commissioner Sandeep Khairwar had declared in a press meet on September 10 that Ashok was the killer and that he had tried to sexually assault Pradyuman.

However, on November 6, in a sudden turn of events, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) apprehended a Class 11 student in connection with the killing and said that it did not find any evidence against Ashok, who was apprehended by the Gurgaon Police.

The Class 11 suspect is also from the same school and is said to have murdered Pradhuman in a bid to create a situation whereby the upcoming examinations would get postponed.

Mohit Verma, lawyer of bus conductor Ashok said, "Police had planned everything, an innocent was trapped. Police had done injustice to Ashok,” adding that “As soon as the closure report comes, we will file the bail plea for Ashok and once he is discharged, we will file a defamation case against the police and the school management.”

The CBI's stunning revelation derailed the Haryana Police version of the gory crime which led to the arrest of the school bus conductor. Pradyuman's family had always insisted that Ashok was being framed.

The family of deceased Pradyuman had accused the police of botching up the investigation and said the CBI meticulously collected circumstantial evidence and facts.

The victim`s family demanded that the juvenile student be tried as an adult and be given a harsh punishment.