New Delhi, Nov 10 (India Today): The family of Ashok Kumar, the driver held by the Harayna police for murder of 7-year-old Pradyuman at the Ryan International School at Bhondsi, Gurgaon, is likely to file a case against police officials, who allegedly framed the bus conductor in the case.
Ashok's father Amirchand said that the family decided to file a case after the CBI apprehended a 16-year-old student of the Ryan International School in connection with the murder of class 2 student Pradyuman.
"Now it is almost clear that my son Ashok was framed and made a scapegoat. We have decided to file a case against Gurgaon Police SIT officers who framed and used torture and even drugged him to confess before the media that he had committed the crime," Amirchand said.
He said that the family was seeking financial help from the villagers in filing the case. "Villagers are with us and they all want us to demand justice for Ashok and action against irresponsible police officials," he said.
CBI Brings Twist
In a sensational twist to the case, the agency announced on Wednesday that it had apprehended a senior student of Ryan International School on Tuesday night in connection with the murder of Pradhuman Thakur. The CBI has rejected the Gurgaon police's theory that the killing was the handiwork of Ashok Kumar.
The CBI has said that there was no evidence against Kumar so far. Opposition party also attacked the BJP government and Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar over the "shoddy" police probe.
Meanwhile, some reports suggest that the knife that the Gurgaon police claimed to have been recovered from Ashok Kumar was planted. The CBI is reported to have said that the actual murder weapon was recovered from a commode of the Ryan School toilet a few days after the murder of Pradyuman and arrest of Ashok Kumar.
Allegations fly thick and fast
Ajay Yadav, a minister in previous Hooda government, demanded a thorough inquiry against three DCPs and the members of the SIT who made the "poor conductor" a scapegoat. "Why did the SIT not quiz the 16-year-old student as he was the one who informed gardener Harpal Singh about the incident. The role of police officials should also be investigated by higher agency such as CBI," he said.
Haryana congress president Ashok Tanwar said it was an overall "failure" of the Khattar government. Seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur was murdered on September 8 and the case was with the Gurgaon police for 13 days before taken over by the CBI.
The Gurgaon Police arrested Ashok in hurry and even Khattar congratulated the team for cracking case the same day. Gurgaon Police Commissioner Sandeep Khairwar declared in a press meet on September 10 that Ashok was the killer and that he had tried to sexually assault Pradyuman.
Khairwar also said during the investigation that the charge sheet would be filed in seven days of the murder. "The case was taken over by the CBI before we concluded our investigation and came on final decision. We had arrested Ashok on the basis factual evidence," Khirwar said.