CBI questions bus conductor's kin in Ryan murder case

The CBI on Tuesday questioned O.P. Chopra -- a relative of bus conductor Ashok Kumar who was arrested in the Pradhuman Thakur's murder in a Gurugram school -- for over eight hours vis-a-vis his audio clipping regarding the case.

A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official said Chopra, Ashok's maternal uncle, was questioned after the agency obtained audio clips in which he was heard saying that "we will put it on the school authorities. Let the situation mellow down".

The audio clips went viral on the social media.

Chopra arrived at the CBI headquarters in south Delhi's Lodhi Colony area around 11.10 a.m.

Senior agency officials disapproved of Chopra's interaction with reporters before entering the agency headquarters.

Chopra told reporters that the audio conversation with a relative of the juvenile arrested by the agency on November 8 "has my voice".

Chopra is heard telling the 16-year-old boy's relative: "Let me get my nephew released first, after that we will find a way for you and put the whole blame on the school authorities."

Pradhuman, a Class 2 student, was found murdered in the Ryan International School in Bhondsi area of Gurugram on September 8.

The case led to arrest of bus conductor Ashok by Haryana Police, which insisted that he committed the murder after he failed to sodomise the boy. Earlier in the day, Ashok was granted bail by a Haryana court.

Although the CBI has not granted a clean chit to the bus conductor, it has also not found any clinching evidence against him.

--IANS

aks/tsb