Ankit's mother Poonam says she can't bear to live in Delhi any more.
A 10x12 feet room in Delhi's Kapashehra, furnished with a thin, hard bed and some kitchen gear: That had been home for Ankit, who died at the local MCD school on January 27 - drowned in a tank, much like Ryan International student Divyansh three days later.
But while Divyansh's family is on the warpath, taking on the school and getting the government on its side with their allegations of sexual assault and murder, Ankit's family would like nothing better than to go. Leave Delhi, and get back to their hometown in Bihar's Samastipur. Or anywhere else. Even if it means living in penury.
Ankit's mother Poonam says she can't bear this room any more. It was there she had welcomed her firstborn. His school backpack is still on the bed, the ID, carrying his photograph, hanging out. "No wonder she wants to leave," said Poonam's aunt Manju Devi.
All they are waiting for is the sub-divisional magistrate's report - just to see if it brings out the truth.
Ankit had died after falling in a septic tank. The family suspects foul play.
The cases of Ankit and Divyansh, in fact, bear uncanny similarities. Both boys were almost 6 years old. Both fell into school water tanks. And both families weren't told about the accident till the children were declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
But it is the difference that hurts.
The locals resent that while Divyansh's case will now be probed by the Central Bureau of Intelligence, the death of their boy hadn't caused as much outrage.
Poonam's neighbor Shobha said, "They are rich and from a private school, so the authorities care about them... not us poor people". Her children also attend the same school.
Neglect is written all over the school, located 500 metres from Ankit's house. The septic tank is still there and for protection, has a big, heavy piece of stone on top of it. "We don't know how a child could fall in,'' said a teacher.
Ankit's family has taken his brother out of the school and sent him back to their village in Bihar. It might waste a school year for the 9-year-old, but they want him to be safe.