Ryan murder: CM jumps to state police’s defence

Sushil Manav

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 8

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today defended the Haryana Police over criticism for “shoddy” investigation into the murder of Pradyuman Thakur at Ryan International School in Gurugram, saying the probe had been handed over to the CBI when the state police had just begun investigation.

Interacting with The Tribune on the sidelines of a seminar on one year since demonetisation, Khattar dismissed the suggestions that heads in the state police could roll for “messing up” the investigation.

“The Haryana Police had just begun investigation when the case was handed over to the CBI on the demand from Pradyuman’s family. The police had not arrived at any conclusion and its investigation was in progress. It will not be fair to dub the police investigation as shoddy,” he said.

The police were facing flak as two months after they arrested a schoolbus conductor for the murder, a Class XI student was arrested by the CBI in connection with the murder yesterday.

The family of Pradyuman, whose throat was slit on September 8, had alleged that the arrest by the CBI confirmed their suspicion that the police had messed up the investigation.

Khattar said since the CBI was investigating the case now, the agency would find the truth and it would not be appropriate for him to say anything. “Our government was always for fair investigation in the case and we referred the case to the CBI immediately when the victim’s family insisted on it,” he said.

Asked to comment on the “black day” being observed by the Congress and other parties a year after demonetisation, Khattar said the decision was one of the boldest steps to have been taken by any government since Independence.

On the issue of smog due to stubble burning, he said the state government had been taking effective measures to stop the menace by booking and fining farmers responsible.