New Delhi: A father's world was torn apart by the loss of his 12-year-old son, a bright student and talented football player, whose life was cut short after a fight with a student in his school in south Delhi's Vasant Vihar. The father had always envisioned a better life for his son, free from the hardships and indignities he faced as a member of an underprivileged caste.
"I could only study up to Class VI and I wanted my son to be much more educated than me," the man who cleaned sewers and gutters for a decade for a living, said. "But he lost his life in the very same Class VI and that dream will forever remain incomplete."
In their modest one-bedroom home, a family of four built their world around hope. "When he was born," the father recalled, his eyes distant with memory, "my wife and I made a pact to give both our sons the universe. When we managed to succeed in getting school admission through the EWS quota, it felt like winning a lottery. We skipped meals to afford his uniforms, his books, his shoes, his football gear — anything to ensure he never felt less than his peers."
Football wasn't just a sport for the boy — it was a gateway to a different life. "He would say with such conviction that one day, teams would bid crores for him," the father smiles briefly through his pain. "He wasn't just dreaming. He was the school team captain and brought home medals that we displayed like treasures."
This was a sacred morning routine: the father, often carrying his cleaning equipment, dropped his son at school at 7.45am. "Sometimes I worried if my work tools embarrassed him, but he never cared. He had this beautiful, unbreakable spirit about him - the kind that made you forget about the judging glances," the father said.
Tuesday began like any other day with the routine drop-off. And then the school called about an "accident". "I left everything and ran. Instead of my son, I found a wrapped body. How does a parent process that? Only a few hours ago, I'd watched him walk through those gates, alive with dreams," the father said. "The teacher kept changing her story, first saying my son had a seizure, then claiming he fell, then saying something about a fight. All this while my child's body lay there before my eyes."
On Thursday, the truth emerged: another student had attacked the youngsters. The father told TOI that two days before the incident, his son had confided in him about some students troubling him at school. "I promised to discuss it with his teacher and told him everything would be okay," he said. "When we got our son admitted at the age of four years, we knew what challenges lay ahead. We thought his talent would speak louder than his caste status, but we were wrong. I shouldn't have dismissed my son's troubles as something we had to endure. I should have filed a complaint."
He also alleged, "In the CCTV footage that the cops showed us, a much older boy can be seen strangling my son's throat. But the boy's younger brother, who is my son's classmate, has been apprehended by police while the senior boy roams free, facing no consequences for what he has done." The parents alleged that there were previous instances of their son being bullied, but no action was taken. They also claimed the school was yet to contact them about the incident. "We need answers," the grieving father said. "We want to know how long our son was suffering."
A police officer said that while scanning CCTV footage of the classroom, they saw only two children fighting and the victim being pushed by his throat against a wall.
Police are awaiting the result of the post-mortem report to ascertain the cause of death and said that there was no visible injury on the boy's body to suggests strangulation. Police have questioned the school staff in connection with the incident while apprehending a minor boy in the incident.
Chief minister Atishi visited the family on Thursday. In an official statement, she said, "We have formed a committee under the education department to investigate the matter thoroughly. If any negligence on the part of the school is found, strictest action will be taken against those responsible." CM has also directed the chief secretary to conduct a magisterial inquiry on the youngster's death and submit a detailed report within three days.