Divyansh case: Father alleges child may have been sexually assaulted

The father of the six-year-old boy, who was found dead in Ryan International School, on Saturday alleged that he was sexually assaulted before being done to death and that there were injury marks on his private parts, a charge discounted by the police citing preliminary reports.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who said that there were enough indications to suggest that it was a "heinous crime", promised action against the guilty.

Ramheet Meena, father of Divyansh Kakrora who was a class I student at Ryan in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj, said he saw cotton swabs on the child's private parts and alleged that the principal of the school has warned the family that they should remain quiet over the issue. He renewed his demand for a CBI probe into the case.

"There was sexual assault. He was done to death," he alleged.

"I saw the body. There were some injury marks and cotton on his private parts. The principal has been threatening me since the beginning saying that keeping quiet will be good for me," he said, demanding cancellation of the school's license.

However, a senior police officer, handling the probe, ruled out sexual assault on the basis of the initial post- mortem report and investigation so far.

Police sent notices to Ryan International Group's Chief Administrative Officer Ryan Pinto and northern zone head Francis Thomas seeking details about the underground reservoir of the school where Divyansh's body was found floating on January 30.

An official privy to the investigation said they have also been queried on "charter of duty" related to responsibilities of the staff members employed by the school's management and the protocol to be followed at times of emergency.

School's principal Sandhya Sabu and four other staff were arrested by the police in the case. But all of them had got bail earlier this week.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who has the education portfolio, said the magisterial probe into Divyansh's death indicated towards a "heinous crime" and that the investigation so far has "ignored" the observations of the child's parents.

"The observations of the parents are being ignored that the private parts of the child had cotton on them. The report is indicating towards a heinous crime. And saying that he had a disorder amounts to running away from responsibilities," Sisodia told reporters.

Sisodia termed as "conspiratorial" the alleged attempts on the part of the school management to give an impression that the six-year-old was a "special child".

A magisterial probe ordered by the Delhi Government into the case said the "deliberate" inaction by the school authorities amounted to "gross criminal negligence" which led to the death of the child. It slammed the authorities for "insinuating" that he was a special kid.

The school principal had claimed that Devansh was a "hyperactive" child who had "tendency" of running away from the classroom.

The probe report said that on January 30, the teachers and other staff at RyanInternationalSchool risked the life of a class XI student, Prajwal Sehrawat, as he had jumped into the reservoir to pull out the body of Devansh. The SDM who conducted the probe recommended Prajwal's name for bravery award.

Promising action against the school authorities, Sisodia said the findings of the report raise a "lot of questions" as to how the school could be so "careless". The government is studying its contents and would take appropriate action, he said.