Another father moves SC for CBI probe into son’s death in school

Satya Prakash

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 14

More than a month after nine-year-old Arman Sehgal, a Class 4 student died at GD Goenka School at Indirapuram in Ghaziabad, his parents on Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe into their son’s mysterious death.

The matter was mentioned before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, which posted it for hearing on September 18. Arman had allegedly died after a “fall” in school on August 1. His father Gulshan Sehgal lodged an FIR against the school officials for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and destruction of evidence. The report of a magisterial probe ordered on August 4 was still awaited.

This is the second petition filed this week by parents of school students seeking CBI probe into death of their children. On Monday, the top court had sought replies from the Centre, Haryana, CBI and the CBSE on a petition filed by the father of eight-year-old Pradyuman — a Class 2 student who was murdered at Ryan International School in Gurgaon on September 8. Pradyuman’s father has demanded safety guidelines for schools across India to check recurrence of such incidents. A conductor of a school bus has allegedly admitted to the crime.

Accusing the school management of destroying evidence in the case, Gulshan Sehgal requested the court to ask the CBI or a special investigation team to take up the matter for a “fair investigation”.

The school management, including the chairman, director and principal, moved the Allahabad High Court seeking quashing of the FIR and the court had granted them interim protection from arrest and directed that no coercive action should be taken against them. He demanded a stay against the interim orders of the high court.

Accusing the Uttar Pradesh Police of not probing the case properly, Sehgal alleged that CCTV footage of the school was not kept according to the rules and certain videos had been deleted from the record.

Even after 45 days of the incident, he did not know the reason and circumstances under which his son died, Sehgal submitted. He said on August 1, he received a call from the school that his son had fallen in the corridor and was being taken to a hospital. But the hospital said the boy was declared “brought dead”.