MP: Hostel watchman held for killing 7-year-old student

A watchman of the tribal hostel in Patel Nagar here was arrested for allegedly killing a seven-year-old student who was found dead in the government- run facility, an official said on Saturday.

The police arrested Jagdish Kalawat (38) on Friday night for killing Suraj, a Class 1 student who lived at the hostel with his nine-year-old brother, Piplani police station in-charge Rakesh Shrivastava said.

The incident took place on Wednesday night when the victim, who had gone to the restroom, started urinating outside the toilet as it was dark, he said.

The accused threw a iron rod at the boy, which hit him on the head, and out of fear of being identified, Kalawat strangled the boy, the official said.

Suraj, who had been enrolled at the hostel in July last year, was found unconscious in the bathroom and was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital, he said.

The post-mortem report indicated strangulation as the cause of death, the official added.

Following the incident, district collector Tarun Pithode had ordered a magisterial inquiry and suspended hostel superintendent Rechal Ram and supervisor Shakeel Qureshi.

State tribal welfare minister Omkar Singh Markam also visited the hostel on Friday and announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh to the victim's family.