Panipat: The death of a 16-year-old student after being stabbed, allegedly by a fellow minor student, in the CCTV-monitored, student-filled classroom of a private coaching centre in Haryana, has raised questions on the role and responsibility of the institute.
The incident took place Friday and the accused, a minor fellow student with whom the victim is said to have had an altercation, has been apprehended by the Panipat police and sent to an observation home after being produced in a juvenile court.
He has been booked under Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code in the FIR, accessed by ThePrint.
Meanwhile, the victim’s family has alleged that the institute, Aakash Institute, was culpable, as it had allegedly misinformed them about the incident and delayed in providing medical attention. In a written complaint, they have sought the constitution of a special investigation team to probe the case.
Police officers aware of the matter, however, told ThePrint that they have sought all records from the institute for the day the incident took place and a call will be taken based on the findings in due course.
“The murder weapon, a knife, has been recovered. The accused has been apprehended and sent to an observation home. Investigation is proceeding based on the process of law and we are recording all the evidence in this case,” deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Panipat City, Satish Kumar Gautam, told ThePrint.
He added: “We have received a letter from the father of the victim in which he has alleged complicity of the coaching institute and we have attached the complaint in the case. We will investigate it and take a call based on the evidence we gather in the course of the investigation.”
Aakash Institute responded to the family’s allegations Sunday, saying that it was “swift” in its response and ensured that “the student was given immediate medical attention by facilitating their transfer to the nearest healthcare centre”.
In a statement to ThePrint, it also said it was cooperating with law enforcement agencies and would continue to do so in the hope of a “thorough investigation”.
“The safety and well-being of our students is the cornerstone of our institution, and in the wake of this unforeseen event, our team acted with utmost urgency and care. We were swift in our response, ensuring that the student was given immediate medical attention by facilitating their transfer to the nearest healthcare center. Our priority was, and always will be, the welfare of our students and staff during such critical moments,” the statement read.
It added: “We reiterate that our commitment to the safety and health of our students is unwavering. This incident has only strengthened our resolve to ensure a secure environment for our learners. We stand together in this time of loss, and we are cooperating fully with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation. We trust that the authorities will conduct a thorough inquiry and we offer our full support to them during this process.”
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Allegations against Aakash Institute
The stabbing incident allegedly occurred around 5.40 pm Friday at Aakash Institute, a Pan-India private coaching institute for medical and engineering entrance exams, with centres across the country.
Speaking to ThePrint Saturday, the victim’s father said the institute was “irresponsible in its acts” after his son was stabbed and had the administration responded promptly, he would have been alive.
He also alleged that the “Station House Officer (SHO) of the nearby police station suggested to his elder brother to not name the institute”.
The SHO, named Jakir Hussain, denied the accusation, saying the name of the institute was already in the FIR.
“My son was preparing for JEE (engineering Joint Entrance Examination) at Aakash Institute, Panipat, and his (coaching) sessions were between 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm. At the institute itself, my son was stabbed and his heart was punctured. The institute informed us at 6 pm that my son had been involved in a fight outside its premises and it was serious. I was not in Panipat and hence asked my elder brother to rush there,” the victim’s father told ThePrint.
He added: “After this, I called on my son’s mobile but his friend answered. It was his friend who had picked up the fight against the accused and my son was not directly involved. His friend told me that my son was already dead but I could not believe it, because death due to a single stabbing does not seem possible. I called again and he (the son’s friend) started crying over phone.”
Giving further details of the tragedy, the victim’s father alleged, “Then, a police officer took the phone and confirmed the death of my son. No one from Aakash Institute brought my son to hospital. His friend along with another person brought my son to the hospital.”
He added that he was “misled by the institute” as their staff told him that the stabbing occurred outside the institute and it was only after his elder brother reached the hospital that he got to know that the fight had taken place inside the classroom.
According to CCTV footage reviewed by the police and seen by ThePrint, the victim and the accused were inside a classroom of Aakash Institute at the time of the stabbing.
“My elder brother reached the hospital and the police were already there. The SHO of Panipat police station told my elder brother not to put Aakash Institute’s name in the complaint because it’s a big institute,” the victim’s father told ThePrint.
He added: “My elder brother was informed by the people of the locality that my son had been stabbed inside the institute and was thrown out of it. Aakash Institute did not give any first aid, did not call the police and did not send my son to hospital in time. Such a big institute is washing its hands of this sin.”
“They have also tried to tamper with evidence. I had deposited two years’ fee and they did not choose to inform us at the right time. I had admitted my son at the institute saying ‘he is your son too, he has to go to IIT (Indian Institute of Technology)’ and it was his dream to go to IIT,” the father said.
He added: “My son used to go to school in the morning shift and then, around 12.30 pm, he would go to Aakash Institute and return [home] only after attending the coaching classes. I have written an application to the DSP and sought action against the institute.”
Sources in Panipat police, however, told ThePrint that the allegations of the victim’s father were based on other people’s accounts who were not present at the spot of the murder.
‘CCTV footage will be examined’
A police officer privy to developments in the case told ThePrint that as soon as the police received the call of murder at Aakash Institute, they rushed to the site and the crime scene was preserved.
It is unclear who informed the police.
“We have found through CCTV footage that the stabbing occurred at 5.40 pm in a span of five minutes and we have asked for the entire footage to understand what transpired in the aftermath of the stabbing,” the officer said.
He further said that the police had learnt that “the allegations of the victim being thrown out of the institute after being stabbed and that the coaching centre kept on working like nothing happened were not true” and claimed “the coaching institute did make efforts to rush the student to hospital”.
According to the officer, the police had sought all CCTV data of the particular day and it was taking time to review it because the data amounted to nearly four terabyte.
The officer claimed that the allegations of the institute tampering with evidence “didn’t hold ground” because the police had preserved the crime scene and all video footage would be verified with time and date stamps.
The SHO of Panipat police station, meanwhile, told ThePrint that the victim’s father’s complaint letter, in which he has sought action against the coaching institute, has been attached with the primary complaint and the FIR of the case, and a call will be taken in due course of investigation when they find evidence corroborating the father’s claims.
A second officer aware of the investigation also claimed the accused had “confessed” to developing animosity against the victim after his friend fought with the victim’s friend in school. The accused also said he had bought a knife from the market a few days ago.
According to the second officer, “both the victim and his friend were present in the classroom where the former was stabbed to death and are visible in the CCTV footage”.
All four students studied in the same school in Panipat and had purportedly picked up a fight around four days ago. While the victim’s family reside at Jondhan Kalan village in Panipat, the accused’s family live in the district’s Sewah village.
“The victim stood up for his friend and the accused did the same for his friend,” the second officer told ThePrint, adding that it led to rivalry in class, which led to the fight and ultimately the murder.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)