Ryan murder case: Bus conductor Ashok Kumar to walk out of jail on Wednesday

Gurugram: Bus conductor Ashok Kumar, who was arrested by Haryana Police for allegedly killing Class II student Pradhuman Thakur of Ryan International School in Bhondsi, will walk out of jail on Wednesday.

He has been granted bail by the Haryana court.

Seven-year-old Pradhuman`s body was on September 8 morning found in the washroom of school with throat slit. Accused Kumar was arrested the same day.

Two school employees - school bus driver Saurav Raghav and gardener of the school Harpal - and the family (father Amichand) of arrested Kumar had alleged that he was being made a scapegoat in the child`s murder since he is poor.

Amichand said his son was drugged and brutally tortured by the police to own up the crime.

Court of Additional District and Session Judge Rajni Yadav court granted him bail on Rs 50,000 bail bond.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is now investigating the case and a Class XI student of the same school was on November 8 arrested by the investigative agency for the murder.

As per the CBI findings, the senior student killed his junior just to postpone a parent-teacher meeting and unit test on the fateful day as the "killer is weak in studies".

The Haryana Police had claimed that the child was murdered by the bus conductor allegedly after he failed to sodomise the boy.

Pradhuman`s body was found in the toilet of the school within an hour after his father Barun Chandra Thakur dropped him and his sister in the school. 

On the demand of people and parents of deceased Pradhuman, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar visited the house of victim on September 15 to offer his condolences and announced a CBI probe into the case.

However, as the CBI started its probe from September 22, the inestigation took a complete U-turn following the arrest of Class XI student on November 8. 

Mohit Verma, lawyer for Ashok Kumar, moved the court on November 16 for bail to the accused.

The CBI was asked to submit the status report in the court after arguments by all parties on November 20, and the judge had kept the decision reserved for Tuesday.

(With IANS inputs)