The 14-year-old student was found in the school's washroom around mid-day.
Highlights
- Schoolboy's body had knife wounds in the stomach
- The body has been taken for postmortem examination
- The 14-year-old boy was a student of Class 9
A student was found murdered today in the washroom of a school in Gujarat's Vadodara -- a chilling reminder of last year's murder of a seven-year-old at a school in Gurgaon near Delhi. The 14-year-old boy was a student of Class 9. His body, bearing multiple knife wounds, was found in the school's washroom around mid-day.
The teen had 10 stab wounds, reported news agency Press Trust of India, quoting senior police officer RS Bhagora.
"The police recovered sharp-edged weapons and a bottle of water containing chili powder from a school bag, which was found lying near a temple adjoining the school," the DCP said. The police suspect the assailants threw it after killing the teen.
After preliminary investigations, the police said they suspect a fight between two students led to the murder.
"Two students had a fight, in which one of the students died. The reason of the incident has not been ascertained as of now," Mr Bhagora told PTI. Investigations are underway and the police are also checking security arrangements of the school, he added.
The body has been taken for postmortem examination. A forensic team has taken samples and CCTV footage of the premises has been obtained, the police said.
The teen had joined the school only a week ago and was staying with his maternal uncle. His parents live in Gujarat's Anand town, the police said.
In September last year, a 7-year-old was found with his throat slit outside the washroom of a school in Gurgaon. The murder evoked widespread shock and outrage, especially when investigation highlighted the lack of proper security at the school.
Initially, the police had arrested the driver of a school bus, alleging that he had killed the child when he resisted sexual assault. But this theory was contradicted by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which arrested a 16-year-old student of the same school.
The teen is awaiting trial after Juvenile Justice Board decided that he would be treated as an adult.