Ryan school murder: Bus driver claims police, school forcing him to say knife was part of toolkit

On Friday, police had arrested a bus conductor for the murder of the class 2 Ryan International schoolboy.

The driver of the bus however has said police and top offficials of Ryan International School had pressured him to say the knife used in the murder of seven-year-old Pradhuman Thakur was part of the bus's tool kit.

Mail Today reported on Monday that Saurabh Raghav, the bus driver, "spilled the beans about the alleged weapon used in the crime".

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It added: "Speaking to Mail Today, Saurabh Raghav, the driver of the same bus in which the accused was a conductor, claimed that he was being forced by police officers and top officials of Ryan International to admit that the knife used in the crime was part of the bus tool kit."

Mail Today reported Raghav as saying: "Since I am the driver of the bus in which Ashok Kumar was a conductor, I was interrogated by police officers and top officials of the school. They forced me to admit that the weapon of crime (knife) was part of the bus tool kit. They detained me till 1.30 am on Saturday and tried every possible way to terrorise me. Since the knife was not part of the toolkit, I categorically denied it."

Mail Today quoted Raghav as saying of that fateful day: "There were principal, three teachers and some top school officials present along with the police officers on the campus. Officers in civil dress threatened to apply third degree on me if I would not admit that the knife was a part of the toolkit."

He added: "I inspected the toolkit just a day earlier and I am 100 per cent sure that the knife was not part of the toolkit."

Pradhuman's father Varun Thakur meanwhile will approach the Supreme Court today.

There were security lapses, one of the reasons for Pradyuman's death says his father as he leaves for Supreme Court #RyanInternationalSchool pic.twitter.com/wBjtseoSXY — ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2017

He has been asking for a parallel CBI enquiry even as Gurgaon Police investigate the murder of his son.

Thakur has said on record that he is "not happy" with the police investigation.

ANI reported Thakur as saying: "It`s been two days that my son is dead and we all miss him a lot. My only wish is that the truth should come out and justice given to my wife and me. There is something which the local police are missing and so the case should be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). I am not happy with the police investigation, and I want a detailed investigation as there is something which is missing in the probe. There are a lot of loopholes which need to be investigated and the CBI can do in-depth investigation which will clear the motive of the murder."

And that he thinks the "investigation is being influence by someone who does not want the truth to come out".

ANI reported Thakur as saying: "The murder took place within 10 minutes, which means the conductor was already prepared to kill my son. As soon as the child entered the toilet, the accused attacked him. Also, why did no one listen to my child when his throat was slit? Did they ignore deliberately? I think the investigation is being influenced by someone who does not want the truth to come out. No culprit must be spared. Even if one of them is let loose, it`ll boost morale of people like them."

ANI meanwhile reported that all of Ryan International's schools in the city will remain closed on Monday and Tuesday.

It added that the Ryan International Group's northern zone head Francis Thomas and its Bhondsi branch -- Pradhuman used to go to school at the Bhondsi branch -- coordinator were arrested on Sunday night.

The school principal -- who had been called in for questioning today -- fell ill on Monday and had to be hospitalised.