The murder mystery of the seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur from Ryan International School is getting murkier by the minute. After the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) made a chilling revelation regarding the arrest of a Class Class XI student on November 8, the agency on Friday, November 9, gave a clean chit to bus conductor Ashok.
“CBI has stated that Ashok did not commit the murder and they are giving him a clean chit. The hearing on bail application will be done on 16th November,” ANI reported Ashok’s lawyer, Mohit Varma as saying.
Apart from this, the Punjab and Haryana High Court also preponed the final hearing of the interim bail plea of three Ryan International Group trustees till November 17. The case was earlier fixed for hearing on December 5.
Ashok Kumar’s lawyer also told ANI that they would file a case against the police and police management as soon as the closure report comes in. He told ANI:
As soon as the closure report comes, we will file a bail plea for Ashok. Once he is discharged, we will file a case against the police and the school management.
A Gurugram court on Thursday sent the teen to a juvenile home and where he would be questioned by the CBI over the next three days. The agency said the Class XI student allegedly committed the murder to get the scheduled exams and parent-teacher meeting postponed.
PTI
Speaking with reporters, victim’s lawyer demanded strict punishment against the Class XI boy, if proven guilty. “We demand strict punishment for him, he should be tried as an adult and hanged,” the lawyer, Sushil Tekriwal, said.
According to the CCTV footage, Pradyuman crawled out of the bathroom after his throat was slit. Forensic experts say his vocal cord was ruptured at the first strike and he couldn’t scream. Pradyuman was seen collapsing next to a wall, his blood pooling around him. The investigating agency also cleared the school bus conductor, Ashok Kumar, who was earlier arrested as a suspect by the Gurugram police.
Here is what happened over the last two months:
September 8: Pradyuman Thakur’s body found in a pool of blood outside the washroom of Ryan International School
September 8: Police arrests Ashok Kumar – the school bus conductor – and claims it has cracked the case.
September 9: Ashok Kumar confesses to the crime says, “I murdered the boy after attempting to sexually assault him.” Ashok Kumar’s wife says he’s being framed.
Indian Express
September 10: Thousands come out to protest the murder, police lathi-charge the crowd
September 11: Two top officials of the school – Legal Head Francis Thomas and HR Head Jeyus Thomas – arrested for negligence.
September 12: Postmortem report rules out sexual assault. Varun Thakur, Pradyuman’s father, demands CBI probe into the case.
September 13: Victim’s father approaches the Bombay HC to oppose the pre-arrest bail pleas of the trustees of Ryan International Group.
Indian Express
September 14: Bombay High Court rejects the anticipatory bail pleas of the three trustees of Ryan Group citing jurisdiction issues.
September 15: Under pressure from public outrage, Haryana govt orders a CBI probe
September 23: CBI visits Ryan School, gets custody of accused bus conductor Ashok.
September 28: Punjab and Haryana HC stay arrest of Pinto family till October 7.
October 4: Victim’s father moves Supreme Court challenging the interim anticipatory bail granted to the three trustees
October 5: CBSE files an affidavit in top court saying the murder happened due to the ‘negligence’ of the school’s administration as drivers and conductors were allowed to use washrooms
October 14: The apex court issues notice to the owners of the Ryan International School while hearing Pradhyuman’s father’s plea.
November 1: SC asks the Punjab and Haryana HC to decide in 10 days the anticipatory bail pleas of the trustees.
November 7: In a stunning twist, CBI apprehends a class XI student in connection with the murder case
