Pradyuman: A victim of school’s gross negligence 

On Friday, seven-year-old Pradyuman’s throat was reportedly slit by a school bus conductor after an alleged attempt to sexually assault him inside the school’s bathroom.

The gruesome murder of the child, who was a student of Ryan International School, has triggered a major outrage. Hundreds of parents had staged a protest outside the school on Sunday demanding a CBI probe into the murder.

Acting on the report of the three-member Special Investigative Team (SIT) indicating lapses in security at Ryan International School, Gurgaon Police arrested two top officials of the school on Monday.

The accused was arrested within a few hours of the murder. According to reports, the bus conductor, Ashok Kumar, was relieving himself after the school assembly, when Pradyuman entered. Ashok Kumar allegedly tried to sexually assault the boy. But with the boy fighting back, the accused slit his throat.

However, Pradyuman’s family is refusing to accept that the bus conductor sexually abused their little one and killed him.

“The bus conductor is not responsible and is not the real culprit. We believe the real culprit is being hidden. The conductor is being paid and asked to accept the crime and being made the scapegoat,” said Pradyuman’s grandmother.

“We want the school to be shut down. We demand a CBI inquiry and the school director to be arrested. The authorities want the child to be cremated immediately. They want to silence us by lathi charging,” said Pradyuman’s uncle.

Many security breaches were also reported from the school.

• No housekeeping staff was assigned to assist young children in the bathrooms.
• Non-teaching staff was allowed in these bathrooms.
• The conductor had no difficulty entering the school premises with a knife.
• Earlier, a Delhi branch of this school, made headlines when a six-year-old student drowned in its water tank.
• The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights also found that the school did not undertake police verification of its staff.

Meanwhile, a letter written by Pradyuman to his mother has surfaced on the Internet. He had written the letter last year when he had not even learned to write properly. Pradyuman wrote: “Today I will speak about my mother. Maa, you work so much. When you finish your work, you get worried for tuition. When you scold me, I feel that you are pampering me.”

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has asserted that there will be no leniency and the school management will be held accountable. On the family’s demand for CBI probe, he said, “Once we get the report, if the facts are not clear, we are ready for any kind of probe.”

The district administration also asked the school to ensure safety in its premises and gave 15 days to reply to a show cause notice.