Seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur was found dead inside Ryan International school.
Highlights
- Pradyuman Thakur was found dead in his school toilet on Friday
- School did not conduct proper checks before the school hired staff
- Pradyuman's parents have alleged cover-up, have sought CBI probe
Seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur's face smiles from the colourful "family tree" on the notice board of Classroom 2-B at the
Ryan International School in Gurgaon. Next to the class is the toilet where he was found on Friday with his throat slit, allegedly by a school bus conductor who tried to sexually assault him. The floor and the wall opposite the toilet are still stained with blood.
Three days after Pradyuman's murder, as the section of the school where the crime took place was opened to media teams, major security lapses revealed by an
investigation were reinforced.
Pradyuman's classroom was very close to one of the exits of the building, and school buses were allowed to park right outside.
After he was dropped off by his father, Pradyuman walked into the building, dumped his bag in his class and ran to the washroom before assembly. Moments later, he was found on the floor, his light blue school shirt soaked in blood.
The window of the toilet was broken even before the murder.
A three-member team has found several lapses by the school. For one, there were no separate toilets for school bus conductors and drivers, which meant they used the same toilet as students. It was found that there were no proper checks and police verification before the school hired staff.
Bus conductor, Ashok, was arrested late Friday evening after the police questioned several staff members
The CCTV cameras are installed at wrong places, found the team, and many of them were not even working.
The wall behind the school is unfinished, which means anybody could climb in. The boundary is not that high either, for anyone determined to break in.
The lack of neglect is also on display in fire extinguishers that are past their usable date. Since last night, two top officials of the school have been arrested, the principal and teachers have been questioned and the police are also looking to question the top management based in Mumbai.
Pradyuman's parents have alleged a deeper cover-up by the school. On their petition for a CBI investigation, the Supreme Court today issued notices to the Centre, Haryana, the CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) and CBI.