Ryan case: CBI detains Class 11 student on suspicion of killing Pradyuman

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said today that it has detained a Class 11 student of Gurugram's Ryan International School in connection with the murder of Pradyuman Thakur, a Class 2 student of the school.

The CBI said it would demand custody of the juvenile student, an accused in the case from the juvenile justice board.

"The CBI has apprehended a child in conflict with law, a student of senior class at Ryan International School (Sohna Road, Gurugram) in an ongoing case relating to murder of a seven-year-old boy, the CBI said.

"Initial investigation revealed the child in conflict with law wanted to have the examination and parent-teacher meeting in school postponed," the CBI added.

The investigating agency has clarified that no clean chit has been given to the accused, bus conductor Ashok Kumar, who is in police custody.

The CBI has also ruled out sexual assault in the murder.

"No sexual assault theory came out during our investigation," the CBI said.

The student has been detained on suspicion of murdering Pradyuman, sources said, adding that the student was seen entering the washroom with Pradyuman on the day of the murder on September 8.

Sources said that the accused student was spotted with a knife on the day of the murder. 

The student will be produced before the juvenile justice board in the evening, CBI sources said earlier, adding that the agency will leave it up to the board to decide whether the accused should face trial as a minor or not since he is above 16 years of age.

The detained student's father, who was questioned by the CBI for a day, told the investigating agency that his son is being framed under false charges. He added that his son was the first to spot Pradyuman on the day of the murder.

"They (CBI) arrested my son last night. My son has not committed the crime, he informed gardener and teachers," his father told ANI.

Seven-year-old Pradyuman was found with his throat slit inside the school washroom. 

The accused bus conductor earlier confessed that he murdered the child after attempting to sexually assault him. His wife claims he has been forced to make the confession.

The doctor who performed the post-mortem had confirmed that Pradyuman had been murdered but ruled out sexual assault.

The Haryana government announced on September 15 that it had taken over the management of Ryan International School for three months.

Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar, who made the announcement, said the deputy commissioner would look after the school's functioning. He added that he had directed the CBI to probe the alleged murder.

The top officials of the school have already been arrested after a report glaring lapses were found in the security infrastructure of the school including non-functional CCTV cameras, non-verification of staff and lack of separate toilets for staff like drivers and conductors. 

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