In Pradyuman Thakur Killing, 4 Cops Being Investigated For Fudging Evidence

New Delhi: As the CBI investigates a Class 11 student for the murder of Pradyuman Thakur at the Ryan International School in Gurgaon, the role of four policemen has emerged in the alleged fudging of evidence to incriminate a schoolbus conductor for the crime.

CBI sources say their investigations have revealed "illegality and destruction of evidence" by the police in Gurugram, who had declared that seven-year-old Pradyuman was killed by bus conductor Ashok Kumar on September 8.

Last week, a 16-year-old student of the school was detained by the CBI and accused of slitting his junior's throat in the toilet to delay exams. CBI sources say the student called Pradyuman to the toilet saying he wanted help with something and the Class 2 student followed since he knew him from piano classes.
 The senior student was not properly questioned or investigated by the police, who focused on the conductor even though both were seen on security footage exiting the toilet around the time Pradyuman was murdered.

While arresting Ashok Kumar hours after the child's murder, the police declared that he had admitted to killing Pradyuman after trying to sexually assault him.

The investigating agency suspects a knife believed to be the murder weapon was planted on the conductor; Ashok Kumar's family has alleged that he was tortured and forced to confess to a crime he didn't commit. They have decided to sue the police.

The student was taken to the school on Sunday as investigators tried to reconstruct the crime. The boy's father has alleged that he has been tortured, "hung upside down and brutally thrashed".

The teen has been sent to an observation home in Faridabad for the next two weeks.

The agency is yet to find clinching evidence but investigators have told a juvenile court that the teen had confessed to the crime in the presence of his father, independent witnesses and the member of a social welfare board.