Kanpur: A gurukul school director and his alleged girlfriend have been arrested in connection with the murder of an 11-year-old boy in Lucknow. Investigators revealed that the autopsy report, interrogation, and CCTV footage showed the child was subjected to severe torture for three to four days.
Details of the Crime
The director, a resident of Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, was running a gurukul in a rented house in Lucknow. During interrogation, he admitted to the crime, stating, "The child was unable to adjust to the gurukul traditions and remained mischievous throughout the day. I made him stand barefoot in the sun for several hours. I stripped him, beat him with sticks, and kicked him. He fell and hit his head against the wall. I then pressed his mouth shut and punched his back several times. He lost consciousness. When I checked, the boy was dead. I later left his body outside his house in Kanpur and fled in a car."
Enrollment and Aftermath
The boy's father had enrolled him in the gurukul on April 15. After the funeral on Thursday, police arrested the director and his alleged girlfriend, also from Chhatarpur.
The accused further told investigators that while all other children were served food, the boy was denied meals. Whenever he cried out of hunger, he was beaten with sticks. After news of the boy's death spread, children gathered at the gurukul. The director called his accomplice, who sent all the children to their homes. Later, they broke CCTV cameras installed on the premises, booked a taxi, and fled after dumping the boy's body near his house.
Evidence and Legal Action
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Anjali Vishwakarma stated that "the footage of the past three days was shocking." It showed the accused brutally thrashing the child for three days, making him stand with his hands up in the scorching sun for hours, and leaving him hungry.
ACP Chakeri Abhishek Pandey said CCTV footage also showed the child secretly eating food belonging to other children.
A case has been registered under sections 103(1) (murder) and 238/3(5) BNS (causing the disappearance of evidence or giving false information to screen an offender). Both accused have been sent to jail.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), East, Satyajit Gupta stated that the gurukul director beat the child for not obeying and admitted to this, and that his girlfriend tried to destroy evidence from the gurukul.
The accused admitted to having brutally beaten the child over a period of three days.
