CBI team reaches Ryan school to collect evidence

A 12-member CBI team on Saturday arrived at Ryan International School in Bhondsi here to collect forensic evidence in connection with the murder of a Class 2 student earlier this month.

A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official told IANS that the team was at the school campus to collect evidence related to the death of seven-year old Pradhuman Thakur who was found dead in the school washroom on September 8.

The official said the local police station, where the case was registered earlier, is assisting the CBI team.

The action comes after the CBI on Friday registered a case under sections of murder, arms act, Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Juvenile Justice Act.

The Haryana government ordered a CBI inquiry into the killing of Pradhuman on September 15. Pradhuman was found dead with his throat slit inside the school's washroom, within an hour after his father dropped him.

Police alleged that school bus conductor, Ashok Kumar, 42, killed him with a knife after the boy resisted an attempt to sodomise him. While Kumar has been arrested, his parents and two other staffers claim he was being made a scapegoat.

Police have also arrested two officials of the school and are seeking to question the trustees of Ryan Trust, which manages the school. The case snowballed into a major national issue of safety and security of children in schools, with vociferous protests held by parents and activists outside Ryan schools in several states.

--IANS

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