'Magisterial probe into boy's death reveals heinous crime'

The magisterial probe into the death of a six-year-old student of Ryan International School in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj points to a heinous crime, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Saturday.

Devansh Meena, a class 1 student, was found dead in a water tank on the school campus last month.

Immediately after the death, Sisodia had ordered a magisterial probe. “The report is indicating a heinous crime. Saying that he (the child) had a disorder amounts to running away from responsibility,” Sisodia told the media.

He added that the investigation so far had ignored the observations of Devansh’s parents.

Devansh lived with his parents and three-year-old sister in south west Delhi’s Sultanpur. The school had contended that he was under treatment for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a condition of the brain that affects a person’s ability to pay attention.
The ‘deliberate’ inaction of Ryan International School authorities that amounts to ‘gross criminal negligence’ led to the death of the child, the report submitted by SDM (Vasant Vihar) Dr Sonal Swaroop has said. It slammed the authorities for ‘insinuating’ that Devansh was a special child.

Sisodia said the report raises questions as to how the school could be so careless. The government is studying its contents and would take appropriate action, he said
“The time that elapsed due to deliberate inaction by the school staff in rescuing Devansh amounts to gross criminal negligence. Had the time essentially wasted in discussion, calling for a particular person and denial, been utilised to rescue the drowned child, it would have been pivotal in saving his life,” the report observed.

According to the police, there was delay in the school authorities informing them about Devansh’s death. The incident occurred around noon, but the police were informed by staff of Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in Vasant Kunj at 2.30 pm.

Devansh was declared brought dead at the hospital. Police were told that he was found in a pit near the school’s amphitheatre.