Class 9 student stabbed to death outside Delhi school, 5 juveniles among 7 held

A 14-year-old boy was stabbed to death by a group of seven persons, including five juveniles, outside a school in east Delhi’s Shakarpur area, in what was found as an act of revenge over a petty issue, a senior police officer said on Saturday.

The accused were identified as Saarthi (19), Aman Kumar (31) and five minor boys. Both Aman and Saarthi were relatives of one of the accused boys who had called them to settle scores with the victim.

Altercation started over the game of “dodgeball” where players throw balls at each other while trying to avoid being hit. The victim had hit one of the prime accused with the ball while playing, which enraged the latter to the extent that he called his two uncles to settle the matter.

Sharing complete details of the case, DCP (east) Abhishek Dhaniya said they received information around 6 pm on Friday about a tragic incident that had unfolded at Rajkiya Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya No. 2 (RSBV-2) in Shakarpur during the dispersal of students after extra classes for grades 9 to 12.

“The victim, who was a Class 9 student, was stabbed with a knife on his right thigh outside the school gate by a group of individuals. He was initially given first aid by the school and then rushed to hospital where he died during the treatment,” the DCP said.

Immediately, based on the circumstances, the police registered a case of murder and formed multiple teams to crack the case and apprehend the accused at the earliest.

Preliminary inquiry revealed that one of the students had reportedly borrowed a mobile phone from another student and made a call to his uncle, instructing him to “send people” to resolve the matter.

“This conversation set the stage for the later confrontation. At the end of the day, when students were exiting the campus, the accused was seen waiting outside the main gate with three to four individuals,” the DCP said. One of them then engaged in an argument and then stabbed the victim, who then succumbed to his injuries.

The cops identified the assailants on the basis of CCTV footage, eye witnesses and subsequently apprehended all of them when they were trying to flee the city. “We have also recovered the murder weapon,” the officer added.