Issue- Ryan International Murder Case, violating which Human rights and why. How the Print and Media covered this case. Judgement of the case and Conclusion.

1. The Ryan International Murder case

2. The Ryan International Murder case
Timeline of the case
September 8, 2017: 7 year old Pradyuman Thakur was found dead in his
school toilet on Friday morning, September 8.
Police arrested Ashok Kumar, the school bus conductor, and claimed to
have cracked the case.

3. September 10: A government committee reported "security loopholes" in the
school. Two top officials of the Ryan International School were arrested while the
acting principal was detained for questioning in connection with the murder.
September 11: Varun Thakur, father of Pradyuman demands CBI probe into the case as
he was not satisfied with the verdict of the police.
September 12: The post-mortem report of seven-year-old Pradyuman rules out the
question of sexual assault. The police had said that Ashok killed the child because the
child tried to resist an attempt of sexual assault.
September 13: CBSE, SIT teams
inspect school in search of clues.

4. September 14: Police detains school gardener Harpal Singh as he was the key witness
in the case.
Bombay High Court rejects the anticipatory bail pleas of the three trustees of Ryan
Group. They later apply to the Haryana high court.
September 16
The Central Board of Secondary Education, or CBSE, sent a notice to the school.
“The unfortunate death could have been averted had the school authorities discharged
their duty with responsibility, care and security. The school failed to observe the basic
security measures as stipulated by the board. From the entire sequence of events it
appears that the school is guilty of gross negligence and failed to ensure safety and
security of students in its schools,” the notice said.
(As reported by the DNA newspaper)
Ryan International School, which opened on September 18 - 10 days after the murder
of seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur, was shut down again for a week.

5. People participate in candle march
and protests all over the nation
against the murder of Pradyuman
Thakur.
One such candle light march at
Jantar Mantar, on September
17, in New Delhi.

6. Trustees of Ryan International – Augustine and Grace Pinto

7. (Zee news dated sept 16th 2017)
CBSE’s notice to Ryan
International regarding
its negligence to ensure
safety and security of
students.

8. Haryana’s CM Manohar Lal Khattar goes to offer his
condolence to the family.
Picture uploaded by zengatv

9. September 22: CBI takes over probe after a notification from the central government
September 23: CBI visits Ryan School, gets custody of accused bus conductor Ashok.
October 2: The principal of Gurgaon's Ryan International School, Neerja Batra, gets
reinstated at another branch of the school in Gurgaon's Sector 40.
October 7: Punjab and Haryana HC grants interim bail to Pinto family till December 5

10. Bus conductor Ashok Kumar who was arrested by the police,
was forcefully made to commit to the crime.

11. November 8- The CBI delivers a twist to the Pradyuman murder case and reveals that
the seven-year-old was murdered by a 16-year-old Class 11 student who wanted his
exams and a parent-teacher meeting postponed.
It is further stated that he did not specifically target Pradyuman he would have killed
any boy.
The CBI gave a clean-chit to the bus conductor Ashok Kumar.
It was reported that since the police was under pressure and wanted to crack the
case, they forced Ashok into committing the crime.
He was badly beaten, drugged and threatened into committing the crime.
20 December- The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) declared that the accused boy will be
tried as an adult and would undergo the regular court proceedings.

12. Picture source- Times of india
Dated –November 9, 2017.

13. Main aspects of the case
• Can the police be trusted?
• Why did Kumar confess to the killing?
• What made the boy commit such a heinous crime?

14. Can the police be trusted ?
• For the Gurgaon Police, the key piece of evidence was a 7.5-minute-long piece of CCTV
footage, which was accessed a few hours after the murder.
• It showed Ashok next to the water cooler washing hands. On the basis of this footage, the
police picked him up for questioning, and later arrested him on the same day.
• However, when the CBI went through the footage, it also accessed a seven-second clip,
showing Pradyuman with the juvenile, something the Gurgaon Police had ignored.
• The CBI concluded that the juvenile took Pradyuman to the bathroom and executed the
murder, while Ashok was already out by then.
• CBI sources say that the police may have also tried to tamper with the evidence.

15. Why did Kumar confess to the killing ?
• Ashok retracted his statement soon after the probe was handed over to the CBI.
• During questioning, Ashok told the CBI that the theory was concocted by the
Gurugram Police, and he was made to rehearse it several times before he could
say it in proper sequence.
• He alleged that he was beaten up mercilessly, not given food, and was not
allowed to sleep until he confessed that he slit Pradyumans neck twice.
• Ashok, who is now out on bail, recalled that he was suspended upside down with
a rope and thrashed. They also beat him up with canes and refused to give water.
So he had no option but to confess.
(As reported by ThePrint)

16. Suffering from high fever and body ache, Ashok has had to be admitted
to the hospital.
Image source- ThePrint
Dated- 4 December,2017.

17. What made the boy commit
such a heinous crime?
• The sixteen-year-old student allegedly bragged to his friends, a while before the crime
took place, not to prepare for the upcoming examinations as he would get the exams
and the parent-teacher meeting to be postponed.
• His classmates have also described the teen as aggressive, a bully and someone who is
weak in studies.
• They claimed that the teen was infamous for violent behaviour and used to often carry
a knife on the school campus.
• He had planned to hurt a student but did not specifically target . Sources also revealed
that the teenager had been receiving psychiatric treatment for the last one year as he
had anger management issues.

18. CBI says- The murder took place just because the 16
year old wanted to postpone his exams.
Uploaded by ZeeNews via
Youtube

19. VIOLATION OF RIGHTS
1. Article 15-Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of
religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth.
This Article ensures no discrimination.
In this case, Article 15 is violated in two aspects-
a. Ashok, the bus conductor of Ryan International School was
discriminated on the basis of class.
b. The status of a student was considered superior to that of the
bus conductor of the school.

20. 2.Article 21-No person shall be deprived of his
life and personal liberty except according to the
procedure established by law. Two of its sub
parts are-
i-Right to have equal dignity
ii-Right to reputation
In this case, both the sub-parts of Article 21 are
being violated in two aspects-
a.The way the audience perceived the people of
lower strata to be criminals.
b.Ashok, the bus conductor was tortured by the
authorities inside the jail.

21. 3.Article 22-Protection against arbitrary arrest and
detention
• It states that no person shall be detained in custody
without being informed.
• He shall not be denied the right to consult a lawyer of his
choice.
• A person arrested should shall be brought before the
nearest magistrate within twenty-four hours.
In this case, Article 22 has been violated in following
aspects-
• Ashok, the bus conductor was arrested and was not told
about his arrest in advance.
• Ashok, the bus conductor was not presented in court
within 24 hours.
• Ashok, the bus conductor was not allowed to be
represented by a lawyer.
• An open and shut case’ was declared within 24 hours and
a media trial within 48 hours of arrest.

22. India Today – Saving Pradyuman
15th September 2017
All attempts made to save Pradyuman (But none
to protect him) – A unique interview of another
conductor who was in the car with Pradyuman
while being rushed to the hospital.
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/video/ryan-international-school-murder-bus-
conductor-artemis-hospital-989268-2017-09-15

23. ANI News – Questioning our Institutions
8th September 2017
• Are our children safe in our country’s schools? Pradyuman’s
Parents blame the school for being irresponsible and careless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfTRuA9vY6U

24. ANI News – Questioning our Institutions
9th September 2017
• Has the Police failed the Citizens? Gurugram Police
Commissioner, Sandeep Khirwar faces flak for the department
making a scapegoat out of bus conductor, Ashok Kumar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PKnJCCAeeQ&list=UUoRpKmC6a-DdEa1ohxlCgUA&index=29

25. India TV – School Tour reveals negligence
at every turn
15th September 2017
• How easily the crime spot could be accessed and other safety
and security gaps inside Ryan International School.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzXpRdDZ5wI

26. Dilli Aajtak – Swift action led to capture of
the accused
9th September 2017
• Exclusive interview of Ashok Kumar, the accused school bus
conductor on his arrest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27OH6a0-oM8

27. SPN 9 News – Misleading justice
15th September 2017
• Bus conductor framed – A sensational twist in the Pradyuman
murder case – seems Ashok Kumar was beaten and forced to
admit to the crime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMRyrT1pEp4

28. ABP News – Political intervention
15th September 2017
• CBI to probe Pradyuman's murder, Haryana Govt takes over Ryan International
School Case. CM Khattar visits ailing parents and assures justice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7lzu2xwdFw

29. Republic TV – Twist in the Tale
8th November 2017
• 16 Year Old Class XI Student Arrested For Pradyuman's Murder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAWtV62PuUI

30. ABP News – Juvenile or Adult?
19th December 2017
• Pradyuman’s Father welcomes Juvenile Justice Board's decision of treating the
accused as an adult.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbqQFAza3mg

31. PRINT MEDIA
Death of Ryan student Devansh: Father
moves High Court for CBI probe
The plea, filed through advocate Aditya Aggarwal, has alleged “foul play”
in the death of the child, and even stated that the role of a Class XI student
who had jumped into the tank to pull him out should be “investigated”.
The Indian Express published this article on March 12, 2016.
We have put this article here as it describes how irresponsible the
management of the Ryan international school has been in the past as
well. Though the centre was different i.e Vasant Kunj ,Delhi.

32. Father of Devansh, who
was 6 years old when
he drowned in a water
tank in Ryan
International, Vasant
Kunj Branch.

33. TOI
Massive outrage over boy's murder, Ryan
International School principal suspended
Sep 9, 2017, 18:04 IST
HIGHLIGHTS
 Parents and the community are still in shock, a day after the
seven-year-old boy's murder
 The boy's father accused the school administration of negligence
 Hundreds of parents and locals gathered outside the private
school to protest against the school management.
The Times of India published an article on the 9th of
September,2017 regarding the Ryan International school
murder case . Giving a list of the top developments.

34. SEPTEMBER 10
The accused’s family(Ashok Kumar) blamed the school. “My
son is innocent, he is just being framed. All this because of the
school,” Kumar’s father told ANI. “My brother has been beaten
up and pressurised to give wrong statements. School principal
has bribed the police,” his sister claimed. – THE INDIAN
EXPRESS

35. SEPTEMBER 11- Updates by The Indian Express
• “Sad incident and a heinous crime”, Haryana CM Manohar Lal
Khattar said that he has asked for a report in the matter.
“Whatever lapses will be found will be acted against,” he
informed the media.
• Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar said he has directed the
authorities to complete formalities within seven days. On the
family’s demand for a high profile probe, he said, “Once we get
the report, if the facts are not clear, we are ready for any kind
of probe”.

36. • Expressing shock over the seven-year-old boy’s murder, Congress leader
Sandeep Dikshit demanded immediate action by the police. “This is a very
shocking incident that an innocent child is being murdered in school. Police
should take immediate action,” he said.
• Calling the incident unfortunate, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar
said that justice will be served. “It is like a warning to people and schools.
Justice will be served for sure,” news agency ANI quoted him.

37. REGIONAL NEWSPAPERS
A group of angry protestors
in Gurgaon, burned down a
liquor shop situated near
the school
( Ryan International).

38. This article explains
how a 11th std boy
who studied in Ryan
International was
taken into custody
by the CBI for
committing the
murder of a 7 year
old boy.

40. NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
50 injured, including
journalists, as police
lathicharge protesters outside
Ryan International. Journalists
say that the attack on media
was pre-planned by the BJP
leaders.

41. THE TIMES OF INDIA GROUP
Vijay shah, Education
Minister of MP made
a cruel remark on the
students of Ryan
International who
came to participate in
a competition

42. The driver Ashok was asked
a few questions by the
media to know his side of
the story.

43. THE INDIAN EXPRESS
The BJP Government and the
opposition’s take on the murder of
a 7 year old boy.

45. THE HINDU
Ashok
told the
media
how he
was
treated
by the
police
and
made to
confess a
crime he
didn’t
commit.

46. HINDUSTAN TIMES

47. Judgement
• Days after the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) in Gurugram
remanded a minor accused of killing Ryan International School
student Pradyuman Thakur in September.
• The CBI revealed that the accused had researched types of
poison and ways to remove fingerprints prior to the murder,
according to media reports.

48. • The CBI, that is investigating the case, reviewed details of the
internet searches that the accused conducted on his mobile
phone with regard to poisons and fingerprint smudging,
Hindustan Times reported.
• He looked up methods to remove fingerprints from the
weapon (a knife) that he intended to use to commit murder,
the report stated.

49. • "Investigators suspect that after killing the student by slitting his throat, the accused
deliberately threw the weapon, a knife which he procured a day before the murder
from Sohna, in the commode of the toilet where the incident took place on 8
September," the report quoted a CBI source as saying.
• On Saturday, the JJB sent the apprehended teenager — who is a Class XI student of
the school — to an observation home until 22 November.

50. • CBI's application, which was submitted to the JJB, confirmed that the agency did not
request further custody of the teenager.
• "Custodial interrogation of the child in conflict with law is almost complete and he is
no more required in custody.
• At present, he may be sent to an observation home," the report quoted the
application as stating.

51. • The JJB had passed the order on a plea that the accused teenager
should not be treated as a juvenile.
• If convicted, he will stay in a correctional home till he is 21-years old
after which the court can shift him to a jail or grant him bail, it had said.

52. Denial of Bail.
The Accused being presented before the Court.
The court also directed that “parties to the proceedings as well as the public at
large, including the media, use imaginary names given in the judgment to refer to
the school, victim, and teenage accused,” and allotted the terms “Vidyalaya”,
“Prince”, and “Bholu” for each.

53. Denial of Bail.
• The JJB had passed the order on a plea that the accused teenager should not be treated as a
juvenile.
• If convicted, he will stay in a correctional home till he is 21-years old after which the court
can shift him to a jail or grant him bail, it had said.
• A Gurgaon court Monday dismissed the bail plea of the 16-year-old accused of murdering a
Class II student of a prominent school in Gurgaon.
• It also imposed a cost of Rs 21,000 on him, through his father, and asked him to deposit the
fine in three months.
• Counsel of the victim’s father, Sushil Tekriwal, confirmed the development.

54. Denial of Bail.
• Referring to an earlier bail plea filed by the defence, which was rejected by the Juvenile
Justice Board last month, the judgment stated that contrary to the allegations of the
defence, “there was no irregularity, illegality or impropriety in the impugned order passed
by the JJB”.
• The defence, during the hearing on Saturday, had argued that the teenager should be
granted “compulsive/statutory bail” as the CBI failed to file the final report in the case
within a month, “as per Rule 10 (5) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children)
Model Rules, 2016”.
• Responding to the allegations, the CBI had claimed that the rule “nowhere speaks about
completion of probe within a month”, but only talks of the Child Welfare Police Officer
having to produce “statements of witnesses and documents to the Board” within one
month.

55. Denial of Bail.
• The CBI had argued that as the crime committed by the juvenile is “heinous and punishable with death or life
imprisonment”
• He is entitled to the benefit of Section 167 of the CrPC (procedure when investigation cannot be completed in
24 hours) “only after completion of 90 days, which in present case is going to expire on 04.02.2018”. Citing Rule
10 (5) and Rule 10 (6), the court said a “combined study” of the two goes against the appellant.
• The 13-page document also pulled up the appellant for “taking court proceedings for a joy ride” — by moving a
“vague application” before the JJB and filing the current “baseless appeal” — and, hence, “wasting valuable
court time” by taking up a total of seven hearings — two before the JJB and five with the district court.

56. Conclusion.
• Reports said that the father of the accused alleged that the CBI was torturing his son — a claim
strongly refuted by the investigating agency. "My son is being tortured, he was hung upside down
and brutally thrashed. He is completely innocent," a Times Now report quoted the father as saying.
• Responding to the claims, PTI reported that the juvenile court had appointed an independent welfare
officer to monitor the investigation and questioning of the apprehended student.
• Sources told PTI that the officer, a completely independent entity, remains present during the
questioning sessions and also whenever the accused is taken to a particular location.

57. Conclusion.
• On Sunday, the CBI blamed the local police, saying the investigation into the murder has revealed
illegality and destruction of evidence by Gurugram Police, according to reports.
• After facing pressure, the Haryana Police accepted that errors were committed during the probe.
• According to DNA, Gurugram Police commissioner Sandeep Khirwar called a meeting of the first
investigating team, which had arrested bus conductor Ashok Kumar as the murderer.

58. Conclusion.
• The policemen admitted that they had erred and that they didn't watch the CCTV footage carefully,
the report said.
• The DNA report added that Khirwar has asked for an explanation of the botched-up probe, including
details of the police officers who analysed the CCTV footage.
• Ashok Kumar, who met his family for the first time on Saturday after being told that he is no longer
the main accused in the case, has sought bail and has expressed desire to go back to his old job after
his release.

59. Conclusion.
• After being told that the focus of the investigation has shifted to another suspect, Kumar said that he
will file a case against the Haryana Police and the school management for torturing and defaming
him, according to the Hindustan Times.
• An innocent man who was doing his job was defamed in this incident.
• A life was lost, A 16 year old went to prison, The Gurugram Police force was blamed for destroying
evidence related to the case.
• These were the highlights of this case.

60. THANK YOU!