The Pradyuman Thakur murder: Another 'Aarushi case' in the making?
In a surprising development in the Pradyuman Thakur murder case, CBI arrested a Class XI student of Ryan International. Thakur's parents have demanded the death penalty. Till now, fingers were being pointed towards Ashok Kumar, a school-bus conductor. At first glance, events look eerily similar to the Aarushi murder: gaps in investigation are stark indeed. Will this turn out to be another similar mystery?
The murder that shook the country
On September 8, Pradyuman was found dead with his throat slashed in a toilet at Ryan International School, Gurugram. According to the post mortem report, the cause of death was "shock and haemorrhage" An external injury was caused due to a sharp single-edged weapon which led to his death. The incident caused outrage as angry parents all over demanded more accountability from schools.
The questions Haryana Police need to answer
Within 24 hours, police had arrested Ashok Kumar. They claimed Kumar had confessed. Moreover, cops had allowed parents and others close to the crime scene, damaging its sanctity. But Kumar insisted he was framed; he was allegedly made to sign on blank paper. Now, CBI says a Ryan-police nexus is possible: sources claim police tried to destroy evidence and planted a knife on Kumar.
Ryan International's conduct was far from innocent
Was Ryan International involved in the crime too? Police had said school authorities tried to cover up the murder: they allegedly wiped off blood from the floor and walls. Kumar's family alleged he was being tortured at the school's behest. Many staff members were detained and questioned. The acting principal was suspended. CEO Ryan Pinto and his founder parents had even requested pre-arrest bail.
The CBI probe left gaping holes too
CBI now says the 16-year-old planned the crime to postpone the school exams- a theory that sounds far-fetched at best. It has admitted there are "dark patches" in the CCTV footage which led to his arrest. Meanwhile, his father has claimed he is being framed: there was no blood stain on his clothes that day. He didn't even know Pradyuman, his father said.
Interestingly, the 16-year-old suspect had alerted school authorities
Incidentally, the 16-year-old was the first person to alert the school authorities of the crime. CCTV footage reveals he was with Pradyuman in the washroom, CBI says. He had also changed his statements several times, was doing poorly in studies and had anger management issues. He reportedly flushed the murder weapon down the toilet. Meanwhile, Kumar hasn't been cleared yet and remains a suspect.
Did nobody kill Pradyuman?
The course of events chillingly reminds us of the Aarushi case, where initially their family help was blamed, then the help of the neighbors and then her own parents, who were recently declared innocent after four years in prison. Pradyuman's family is suspicious of both police and CBI. We can only hope investigators implicate the correct murderer, or many lives might be spoiled.
