Try accused as adult, says victim’s father

Sumedha Sharma

Tribune News Service

Gurugram, November 15

Varun Thakur, father of Ryan School student Pradyuman Thakur who was murdered at Ryan International School, Gurugram, today moved the Juvenile Justice Board, saying the class XI student accused in the case be treated as an adult.

In a petition, he demanded strictest punishment for the teen, saying his act of slitting the throat of his son was “chilling and horrific”.

The four-page petition was filed by Thakur today, just a day before the bail plea hearing of conductor Ashok Kumar, who was arrested in the case earlier.

The plea demanded trial under the amended Juvenile Justice Act in December 2015, allowing children aged between 16 and 18 to be tried as adults. It highlighted that the murder fell under the “rarest of the rare” category.

The board has posted an official to observe the accused’s behaviour at the Faridabad correction home to analyse his mental state and decide whether he can be tried as an adult or not.

Meanwhile, the father of accused insisted that his son was innocent and had confessed to the crime because he was threatened.

“My son told me how he was threatened that if he did not confess, his family will be shot dead. My child gave in to save us. My son has been framed because he was a student and was bartered for a school official,” said accused’s father.

Meanwhile, a local court will hear the bail petition of conductor Ashok Kumar tomorrow and the outcome will decide the future course of the inquiry.

Police refute reports of shuffling

While the transfer of DCP (Traffic) Simardeep Singh yesterday has set the rumours mills spinning, the Haryana Police have refuted all reports of carrying out any internal inquiry or shuffling cops involved in the case in the initial stages.

“We don’t act on rumours or reports. We are waiting for the CBI to file its chargesheet, following which we will be able to get its take on investigations. Transfers are routine and any stories related to these are mere rumours,” said Sandeep Khirwar, Commissioner of Police.

Eyebrows were earlier raised when Bhondsi SHO Narender Khatana and ACP Tanya Singh were transferred, but the shifting of Simardeep Singh, who was the officiating CP when Pradyuman was murdered, has led to many rumours. — TNS